What was thought to be a done deal turned out not to be at the Pleasant Valley School Board meeting Thursday night. The contract for a transportation provider hit a speed bump.

The school district’s administration presented to the board a contract with First Student Inc. to provide busing services to the students for the next five years, from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2026.

Under the agreement, the district would pay First Student $7.4 million next school year. The cost would go up 10.8% for the 2022-2023 school year to $8.2 million. For the remaining three school years of the contract, the cost would increase 4.3% each year, which is $8.5 million for 2023-2024, $8.9 million for 2024-2025, and $9.3 million for 2025-2026. The total for the five years would be $42.5 million.

School board treasurer Laura Jecker said she wasn’t happy about the contract.

“The board wanted to interview each company in person and instead we got a sales pitch from one company on Zoom, and it seemed to me that one party was given an advantage over the other,” she said. “I want to know if First Student was asked about a one-year extension?”

Jecker said she wanted them to be at the meeting Thursday night, but they did not have a representative there. She said the board was told that they would not do a one-year extension.

“If they said no, that to me is not a company I want our district to work with,” she said. “We need someone who is going to work with us, not take advantage of us.”

Douglas Palmieri, supervisor of transportation and administrative services for the district, said that it his understanding that First Student declined that offer.

Contenders

The other contender for the school bus contract was the Martz Group, which has a school bus division through the Rinehimer Bus Lines Inc. in Wapwallopen.

School board Director Norm Burger said he there wasn’t much time given to competitors to prepare a plan for the contract. This just sends a message to competitors that the school district really isn’t interested in changing providers.

“If the company you have as a service provider knows that there isn’t going to be much in the way of competition, they’re not going to show up with their best and come back and give you a great deal. You don’t get a financially beneficial result if there’s no competition. The way we approached it we basically eliminated the competition.”

Burger said there are more bus companies in the area than Martz and First Student.

Palmieri said he posted in January to accept bids. The district received inquiries, but these were the two that placed bids.

Jecker said she was not happy that the board received a summary of the bids, but did not get to see the bids themselves and compare them side-by-side.

School board Director Todd Kresge asked Palmieri if Martz was given the same opportunity as First Student to adjust their proposal. Palmieri said no, because they were the low bidder.

School board President Donna Yozwiak said she wasn’t impressed with Martz, because they didn’t have an understanding of the routes and didn’t want to hire their drivers.

Burger disagreed. He said Martz would offer them jobs and they would have all new buses, but they needed to know by the end of April.

Yozwiak said they were going to pay the drivers $8 to $9 per hour less than they are making with First Student.

Burger said they were willing to do whatever it took to fill the positions.

Union wages

Superintendent Lee Lesisko said that the drivers at First Student belong to a union, so they do get paid more. He asked William Gasper, the director of operations, to weigh in on the discussion.

Gasper said First Student pays 55 of their drivers $29 per hour, and 33 of the drivers $26 per hour. Most of their expenses are wrapped up in the cost of employees, he said.

School board member Susan Kresge said she suggested months ago for the bus routes at the elementary and intermediate schools to be combined. She asked whatever happened to her suggestion.

Palmieri said that they can’t be combined, because the number of students taken to day care and the number of elementary students are too high.

“We might be able to eliminate a fair amount of them,” Kresge said.

School board Director Dan Wunder suggested that they table voting on the contract and meet with First Student again, since no one from the company was at the school board meeting to answer questions.

Jecker thought that was a good idea, and added that she would like to talk to Martz again as well.

Following up, Lesisko said a meeting will take place at 7 p.m. June 14.