BY PATRICIA KELLER
WEST MILFORD — The West Milford Board of Education is seeking bids in an effort to outsource seven bus routes in the Paradise Knoll area of town.
Board trustees approved the move at the Jan. 28 meeting.
According to Barbara Francisco, business administrator for the district, the reason for the bid and advertisement is in preparation for the presentation of the 2014-2015 school year budget, and "to explore the board’s options in order to make an informed decision” on “whether the outsourcing of additional bus routes is cost effective.
“There are only two options: continue with our own drivers or outsource additional routes,” said Francisco.
The district, by regulation, must replace school buses every 12 years. Reportedly, seven buses will need to be replaced for the 2014-2015 school year. Paradise Knoll Elementary School currently has seven bus routes.
The district's transportation system
The district transports the majority of its students with its own buses and employees. The buses first pick up students of West Milford High School and Macopin Middle School, then return to transport elementary school students.
According to Francisco, the district’s in-house transportation service currently has 51 contracted drivers, with the number of routes within the district determined as needed.
“There are over 3,800 students. There are a few walkers that attend PK (Paradise Knoll) School.”
The district currently uses Jordan Transportation for 11 outsourced routes, according to Francisco. Jordan transports students from the Apshawa and Maple Road School areas. Francisco did not know the exact number of students transported by Jordan,.
In addition to in-district routes, the district also transports special education students to out-of-district placements using SUV drivers. The number of students transported out of district varies according to individual placement.
“We have a few students being transported by county ed services buses with students from other communities," Francisco said. "These routes also vary each year."
The district pays $638,629 for the routes serviced by Jordan Transportation. The overall transportation budget is $5,074,572, according to Francisco, which also includes transportation for clubs and sports.
Paradise Knoll will be affected
“The bid will be for the routes that service Paradise Knoll School and include all elementary, middle and high school students that live in the PK boundaries,” Francisco said. “If the bid is accepted, they (the students) will be transported by a private company rather than West Milford buses and drivers.”
There will be no change for providing transportation for school trips, sporting events, etc., she added.
"As long as the district provides a safe mode of transportation for our children to and from school with credible drivers, that’s all that matters and we will stand behind the district," said Lori Eckhart,PTA president at Paradise Knoll. "There are members of the board of education whose children currently attend West Milford Public Schools and utilize the district’s transportation services. I support the decisions made by the board, as it would also affect their children as well.”
What about the bus drivers?
If the district accepts a bid for outside transportation, drivers will lost their jobs.
“If the bid is accepted, some drivers could be affected because there will be fewer routes available to choose from,” Francisco said.
Art Faber, president of the West Milford Bus Drivers Association, wants parents to pay attention to this.
“The cuts will affect seven drivers, seven taxpayers, seven parents that are struggling to make ends meet," said Faber. "That’s just the beginning. Parents need to pay attention to this and become more informed.”
Faber said he planned to attend the Paradise Knoll PTA meeting on Thursday, Feb. 6, to talk to parents about the bus drivers and answer any questions he can that they may have.
What are your thoughts on the district looking to outsource more of its bus routes? Is this a sign of things to come? Do you think, eventually, all routes will be outsourced? Let us know at westmilfordmessenger.com or go to our facebook page.