Gary, Indiana School District Committee Picks Through Details of Bus Contract

Members of the Gary School Board Budget and Finance Committee meticulously pulled through detail after detail of a school bus contract for more than an hour Monday night.

"Everything we wanted is in the contract. We feel really good about what is in here," Atty. Ragen Hatcher said to board committee members as she presented the contract.

Mark Herington, Durham School Services business development director, expressed quiet but audible exasperation at the meticulous way committee members questioned Hatcher on the clarity and transparency of each part of the bus contract, as to be sure of the district's responsibilities and of Durham.

"In any partnership there is trust. Without it, there is no partnership," Herington said.
He along with Bob Ramsdell, vice-president of the Warrenville, Illinois company, answered as many questions as board members put to them.

The school board committee members wanted to be sure that no state tax dollar went to waste. As of this writing, the contract has not yet been ratified.

One issue up for debate is whether or not to provide bus service for Saturday School students. School administrators think it will be a good idea. The district can save $16,000 if they do not provide bus transportation. As it stands, students and parents provide their own transportation to the enrichment program.

"Our budget is tight," board and committee member, Barbara Leek, a former teacher, said.
Costs to provide bus service to and from school, enrichment programs and after school programs depend on how many students actually ride the bus. An accurate head count must be taken, committee members stressed.

Other highlights of the bus contract negotiations were: the cost and penalty of provided bus video surveillance, a fee to the company for late routes and how long to extend the contract. Currently, it is for three years with one-year options, for a total of five years.

Up for grabs is approximately $5 million dollars available in the school district's transportation budget. The Durham School Services bus contract, as it stands, is valued at approximately $8 million dollars, committee members said. They plan to continue to work through the details of the contract and other district financial issues in a committee meeting next week at the district service center, 620 E. 10th Place.