School Board Approves Transportation Contract, And More
Released: Could 09, 2022 07:00 AM
In a split vote all through its May perhaps 3 assembly, the Newtown Board of Instruction awarded a 5-yr transportation contract to All-Star Transportation.
Together with approving the agreement, the college board authorised a state-mandated elective program for Newtown Superior University, and approved variations to the district’s “math pathways,” or the math classes students can get involving fourth and eighth grade.
The faculty board also heard a range, equity, and inclusion presentation, which will be coated in following week’s print version of The Newtown Bee.
Subsequent a Request for Proposal (RFP), the university board learned at its March 15 meeting that only a single bid came back again for the school district’s transportation contract. The present contract with All-Star Transportation, which oversees the majority of bus routes for the district, is set to conclude at the conclude of this school 12 months.
At the May perhaps 3 conference, district Director of Organization & Finance Tanja Vadas mentioned — reacting to Community Participation speaker Ryan Knapp who, among the other points regarding the transportation contract, questioned the faculty district’s RFP procedure — she stands by the district’s RFP system “but other providers just did not bid.”
Vadas also shared that All-Star Transportation available the district an alternative to the proposed 5-12 months deal far too: an extension of just one yr to the present contract. The a single-year extension, Vadas pointed out, would price the district an supplemental $355,000 over the existing finances, close to a 20{22377624ce51d186a25e6affb44d268990bf1c3186702884c333505e71f176b1} increase.
If that a single-year extension experienced been picked out by the college board, a new bid would have been designed in January for the complete contract.
Vadas mentioned the 5-calendar year deal satisfies the school district’s funds expectations, and she shared ways All-Star Transportation has been working to mitigate bus driver shortages.
“They are attempting,” Vadas stated. “They are making an attempt to get the word out there.”
According to a presentation from Vadas, with marketing for recruitment endeavours, All-Star Transportation experienced 82 candidates among July and March, and of those people 82 candidates eight people commenced the approach to become a college bus driver, two of these people finished the approach, and no one particular ended up becoming a member of the staff.
Vadas mentioned Newtown is not by yourself in facing school bus driver shortages due to the pandemic and other economic motives. Through deliberation on the bus agreement, faculty board associates voiced not liking either agreement choice.
The school board voted 5 to 2 to move the 5-calendar year agreement with Jennifer Larkin and Janet Kuzma voting against.
College board Chair Deborra Zukowski shared that she was supporting the five-yr contract inspite of having “no good options” owing to issues about the COVID-19 pandemic and its repercussions continuing, inflation, and the faculty district about to changeover to a new superintendent of schools, with current Superintendent of Educational institutions Dr Lorrie Rodrigue established to retire at the stop of the school calendar year.
Pursuing a first read and presentation at its April 19 meeting, the school board held a next browse and vote for acceptance on a state-mandated African American/Black and Puerto Rican/Latino program at NHS at its May well 3 meeting.
Because it was condition-mandated, Assistant Superintendent of Colleges Anne Uberti described it did not technically have to have to be voted on by the school board, but was staying voted on for the reason that all curriculum in the faculty district is voted on by the board.
The college board voted 6 to 1 to approve the course, with faculty board member Don Ramsey voting versus the movement expressing he was not voting against the study course by itself but instead by how the point out introduced and mandated the system, which will be an elective at NHS setting up up coming college calendar year.
In a further break up vote, the faculty board voted 5 to 2 to approve modifications to the math pathways, with Larkin and Zukowski voting towards the motion.
The adjustments, in accordance to Uberti, defer placement into an advanced math course till quality six rather of 5 and to do away with the Math Accelerated course in quality 7. The proposals were brought forth by the kindergarten to twelfth grade math committee just after “careful thought of several elements and a overview of relevant knowledge.”
Training Editor Eliza Hallabeck can be achieved at [email protected].
