“We gave them 120-day notice that we are terminating their contract for convenience,” he said. “We will be sending a request for proposals by mid-April and expect to choose a new vendor and notify the winner by June 1 to take effect Aug. 1.”
UPDATE @ 5:07 p.m. April 1, 2015:
Vandalia-Butler City Schools will end its busing contract with First Student Inc.
The district said it will exercise its “termination for convenience” clause in its five-year contract with the Cincinnati-based transportation vendor, according to a news release. The contract, signed in August 2013, was set to expire in August 2018.
“We believe it is in our community’s best interest to terminate our contract with First Student and seek a transportation partner with corporate values that better align with our community’s expectations,” Superintendent Bradley Neavin stated.
The Board of Education in October voted to give Neavin the option to terminate the contract with First Student following three minor crashes involving school buses earlier this school year.
UPDATE @ 5:32 a.m. Oct. 28, 2014:
Vandalia-Butler City Schools will host a parent meeting about transportation tonight.
The district’s website says the meeting will be held before the regular school board meeting.
It comes after three minor crashes involving school buses in recent months.
Earlier this month, the board voted to give the superintendent the option to terminate the district’s transportation contract with First Student Inc.
Then, about a week later on Oct. 16, a bus driver was terminated after he backed into a lift station and drove off with children on board. The bus also had expired plates, according to police.
FIRST REPORT Oct. 10, 2014:
Vandalia-Butler City Schools and transportation provider First Student issued statements following the school bus crash this morning that sent both bus drivers and one student to a hospital as a precaution.
One bus rolled into another in a loading and unloading zone in front of Demmitt Elementary School. The transportation company described the crash as a “low-speed, rear-end collision” that did not damage either bus, according to a statement from First Student spokeswoman Jen Biddinger.
Both drivers were taken to a hospital to be checked out, and all students aboard the buses were checked by paramedics. One student also was taken to a hospital for evaluation at the request of the child’s parent, according to Vandala-Butler City Schools.
The district and First Student are cooperating with the police investigation and Biddinger stated the bus company is conducting an internal review of the incident.
“We understand the concern this morning’s incident has caused,” Biddinger stated. “First Student wants our performance for Vandalia-Butler to align fully with our service and safety standards. We are committed to delivering safe and reliable transportation for the district, as well as the families we serve each day.”
However, Vandalia-Butler Superintendent Brad Neavin expressed the district’s concerns about the frequency of issues that have occurred this year. He said the district is evaluating to make sure all safety and operational processes and procedures are being followed, according to the release.
“It is our expectation that our transportation vendor will provide the highest levels of accountability, performance and student safety,” Neavin stated. “We will take all necessary steps to ensure that these issues are corrected to the satisfaction of our administration, our parents and our community.”