RRPS Moves Toward Bus Ownership

At a special meeting on Monday, February 2, the Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education authorized RRPS’s Student Transportation Department to begin moving towards a school district-owned and operated school bus service.

The process of transferring transportation services to the district is a complex one involving the NM Public Education Department and the current contractor.  Therefore, the district does not entirely control the timing.  The Student Transportation Department would like to make the change to school-owned with the 2009-10 school year, but funding and other considerations could postpone the transition to the 2010-11 school year.

The Student Transportation Department has been conducting a study for the past several months to determine whether the district should consider requesting proposals and competitive bids from its current and other contractors or take the service in-house.  As a result of this study, the Student Transportation Department recommended to the school board that it approve moving forward with becoming a school-owned and operated service as soon as financially reasonable and practical.  The school board, on a 5-0 vote, approved a motion to this effect.

The current contractor, Durham School Services, has asked the board to allow it to come forward with a plan for its continuation of services and the school board has agreed to hear the plan at a future date.  Should the transportation service become school-owned, Durham has assured the school board that it would continue to provide professional, safe services to Rio Rancho students during the transition.

RRPS is moving towards a school-owned system for a variety of reasons.  Executive Director of Student Transportation Jeff Bronstein says, “Given the state’s and district’s very tight budgets, we have an opportunity to realize efficiencies that will allow us to maintain the efficiency of the bus system in the face of shrinking budgets.”  He also observes there may be future opportunities for the school district and the city to work together on the development of transportation infrastructure and systems.

Bronstein notes that drivers have in the past expressed a desire to become part of the school district.  As district employees, drivers would be eligible to receive school district benefits and would be directly managed by the school’s Student Transportation Department.