The new contract could be awarded by December
The Board of Education Monday met with a consultant hired by the administration to work out the district’s new busing contract.
Educators have long been eager to ditch the current contract, which was extended years ago in the midst of a budget crunch to save money in the short term, said Board of Education Chairman Austin Drukker.
“I was pretty much a rookie at the time,” he said recalling the contract agreed to by a past school board under a different administration. “It was a short-term fix,” he said.
“We renegotiated the contract with much less favorable terms,” he said, adding the strategy of gradually increasing rates “kind of robbed Peter to pay Paul hoping that things would get better and it didn’t,” he said.
As a result, the district is paying more than most of its Fairfield County peers, said District Business Manager Paul Hendrickson.
Extending the contract would cost around $22.5 million over five years at the current rates, he said in introducing Mark Walsh of Transportation Advisory Services (TAS) who has been retained to aid the district in navigating a new contract from start to finish.
TAS will receive $11,000, which Mr. Hendrickson said can be taken out of a $25,000 reduction in the district’s annual payment to MIRMA — an insurance pool that failed and left the town with a hefty bill.
Mr. Hendrickson said Mr. Walsh has 25 years experience and came highly recommended by administrators in other area towns. “Unilaterally they agreed that Mark was the best,” he said.
Part of the process involves determining what the district needs, and possibly identifying things it doesn’t need.
He gave an example of an odd item he found in the district’s current arrangement, calling for all buses to have at least 190 horsepower.
“I haven’t got a clue why you did that. If it’s got 189 horsepower, do I care? No, I don’t care,” he said.
He said the bid specs will be considered a “baseline” requirement, which bidders might offer to exceed.
For instance, he said, the district might require that buses be no older than 10 years with an average age of six years, but a contract might offer a brand new fleet, but the cost would be reflected in the bid price.
Mr. Walsh said it’s likely the current bus company will want to compete to keep the contract, and regardless of whether they win, there is usually little turnover among bus drivers because union contracts and a demand for drivers.
“There’s typically very little turnover,” he said, adding that the bus company might be more likely to keep its mechanics and management staff.
The new contract could be awarded by December, according to a preliminary timeline proposed by Mr. Walsh.
CMcQuilken
August 31, 2012
I’m a big fan of the BOE. I often sing their praises. But I was at the meeting earlier this week where the bus contract was discussed. At one point I wanted to jump up and ask a question, but unfortunately BOE rules forbid it. At issue: (paraphrasing) the consultant said he has been doing this for 25 years and has negotiated over 500 contracts. Great. Sounds like we have the right guy. But when he turns to our BOE and says there are stipulations in the Ridgefield contract that he has NEVER seen in a contract before, then to me, it’s time to start asking questions.
He gave ONE example, as cited in the article above. RIdgefield wants the buses to have 190 horse power. WHY? Is it because we have hills? This is New England, almost every town has hills. Why are we the one standout saying 190 horse power? Doesn’t that sound like we are driving up the price of the contract? If other towns aren’t making that requirement, why are we?
But no one on the BOE asked the question. Don’t we want to know why we have such a requirement and why we are the ONLY town with such a requirement?
And that was just one example. The consultant said there were things (plural) in our contract that he had never seen before in any of his 500 other contracts. What are they? Why are they there? Why don’t other towns have them? How much extra are they costing us?
Big fan of the BOE, but I think you gotta get in there and start asking questions before we end up with another overpriced bus contract. IMHO.
Waldo P. Swackhammer
August 31, 2012
Ask Keith Miller . . . He was responsible for negotiating this contract, no?
RPOZ28
August 31, 2012
So you think the contract is over priced. You sir are miss informed. Good drivers maintenance required by the BOE over and above standards and halving the maintenance procedures cost plenty more than other towns. Add on equiptment like no recaps and spiral filters on spot’s along with tachographs and a HP rating are also special issues demanded by the BOE. By the way the age of the fleet is MOOT. The bus co has achieved the second best inspections in the state with old equipment. DOT records confirm that. Also with Phase 4 emissions and mandatory seat belt requirements on buses built on or after 2013 will decrease passenger capacity and reliability. So if i were you i would take with a grain of salt what this consultant actually knows. It seems like he has one thing in mind. HIS PAYCHECK FROM THE TOWN. Expert i dought it!!!
RPOZ28
August 31, 2012
“I haven’t got a clue why you did that. If it’s got 189 horsepower, do I care? No, I don’t care,” he said.
Better rethink this one. A full bus with 71 passengers on the up side of 102 better have more HP than 190. Simply put that is not enough HP. So right off the bat this guy does not impress me one BIT…. So what will he CUT??? I am all ears !!!
Sharon
September 1, 2012
I do not understand why the BOE wants to spend 11 thousand dollars for ideas on how to save money with the busing contract. The ideas they have been told in the past have been ignored. We went to a 4 tier to save money, and parents were told stops would be bundled, and buses would not go in to dead end roads. Instead of sticking to this, the board gave in to parents who complained and wanted door to door service. Now the runs are longer and more buses are needed. Let’s do what we originally set out to do!
RPOZ28
September 1, 2012
So just for the record does not the BOE have a person they hired that makes big bucks handle these decisions??? Explain to me how this works. We hire people like a town engineer and transportation supervisor for WHAT??? Then we hire outside people to do their jobs. WHAT AM I MISSING HERE. Is this not absolutely INSANE!!! Please explain!!!
Waldo P. Swackhammer
September 2, 2012
The original contract was negotiated by Keith Miller. He was neither hired nor elected by the town; he was installed as BOE chairman by the RTC. As a result, Ridgefield has been stuck in a contract that people of all political stripes have since bemoaned. This time around, hiring an outside person with specific expertise to negotiate the best possible contract seems prudent to me.
RPOZ28
September 2, 2012
?????????????? And what do we pay Mr. Hendrickson FOR?????? Just CURIOUS. And what kind of service will a new company provide. I bet the door to door pickups and private roads will go BYE BYE. It is simple to me. In order to cut expenses either you will have to cut salaries or service. Either of these things will send the residents of this town with school children in a RAGE OF ANGER. So explain to me how to cut the contract and justify the BOE getting a 2.5 million dollar increase last year with enrollments down. How about cutting teachers or their salaries??? Bet that wont happen any time soon!!!
CMcQuilken
September 2, 2012
Z28, I hear what you are saying about the hills. But why is RIdgefield the only town requiring 190 hp. Why don’t other towns with hills seem to need 190 hp buses?
RPOZ28
September 2, 2012
Because they have buses with more HP!!! Buses are not built by geographic area for HP. The HP issue is stupid and means nothing. The contract also states 6 cylinder engines of 190 HP only. The BOE made this rule. So with this once again why do we have a business agent and a transpertation supervisor if they cant iron out a contract. Seems to me just eliminate those positions and the bus contract is a moot point. Other districts around the state did. But to pick on transportation is just foolish. So let me get this straight. You want a cut rate bus company to deliver you kids and sacrifice safety with a cut rate contract. You dont preach this when it comes to teachers or administrators? But i have a better idea how about cutting SPORTS that cost us 1.5 MILLION. SIMPLE!!!
RPOZ28
September 3, 2012
@ WALDO
Gary Green ring a bell??????????
CMcQuilken
September 4, 2012
Z28, consider Westport. In round numbers, almost identical to Ridgefield. Same population. Same number of square miles. To bus kids to school, Westport pays $3.5 million per year. Ridgefield pays $5 million. Isn’t this difference worth investigating?
As an aside, this year WIlton becomes the first school district in CT to offer lap/shoulder seat belts on their school buses. Is this something Ridgefield should look at when renegotiating the bus contract?
Waldo P. Swackhammer
September 4, 2012
CMcQuilken,
Thank you for your reasoned approach to this issue. Of course it’s prudent to seek the services of a specialized professional to obtain an improved contract.
Both public and private sector organizations regularly consult outside sources for the betterment and benefit of their citizenry or stockholders. This critical negotiation is no different, despite what the usual gadflies insist.
RPOZ28
September 5, 2012
Better check out what they CUT. It was NASTY
RPOZ28
September 5, 2012
If Westport cut 1.5 million bucks what did the school bus company CUT. Simple drivers pay and benefits. Stops and bare min maintenance on equiptment. What bus co has this cut rate contract?? Then look up their history. Their is an old saying you get what you pay fore. As for the contract going to an independent person that proves that all spending should be as such. This way we can reduce . pay and benefits of teachers and administrators as well, I bet we can also save millions with waste like this and also do away with 90% of sports costs. Seems like Waldo is a guy that likes this town to have high paid EXPERTS only when it is beneficial to increasing benefits and pay or the school people. God forbid that a bus driver should make a good living and have benefits. Shame on you guys.