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First Student, a transportation company based in Cincinnati, has been leasing buses to Terrebonne Parish schools for 10 years. During that time, about 20 have been replaced from a fleet of 123, a number some officials are calling into question.
Officials voted 7-1 to approve a five-year, $7.6 million contract with the company at a routine board meeting last Tuesday. Board member Rickie Pitre opposed the measure, saying he thought more buses would have been replaced in the 10-year span. He proposed a motion to negotiate a shorter contract with First Student, but was struck down by a vote of 7-2. Clark Bonvillain supported Pitre’s motion, but also voted in favor of the five-year contract just minutes later.
The new deal calls for 114 regular buses and nine with wheelchair-access, alongside maintenance service on 60 board-owned buses.
With student enrollment declining across the district and layoffs imminent, Pitre continued to voice opposition. “This doesn’t warrant as many buses as we have now,” he said. “We’re [even] having accidents in the parking lots.”
About 2,000 students have disappeared from the attendance sheets at Terrebonne schools since 2000.
In July, First Student will replace 19 buses, maintaining a fleet of 123. More buses can be replaced as requested by the school board and the total number of buses can be reduced, officials from the company explained.
To stave off additional costs, Superintendent Philip Martin will be looking to reduce the number of bus routes. Currently, each bus runs an average of three routes. If 10 buses were eliminated from the district’s alleged overpopulated fleet, 30 routes would be axed. But a number that high is unlikely.
“I don’t think 30 would be a number I’m willing to contemplate,” said Martin. “There will be some reductions, but I don’t think it will be [10 buses].”
As part of the reduction in force policy Martin is using to balance next year’s budget, a number of bus drivers will be laid off, lending hand to fewer routes.
SCHOOL IS OUT
Last Tuesday’s meeting also brought staunch opposition to the surface over who should build a new school for students in the Grand Caillou community. GSE Associates, Cheramie and Bruce Architects and The Merlin Group are being considered for the project.
Roger DeHart, a board member representing Grand Caillou, moved to accept the proposal from The Merlin Group. But Pitre opted to award the project to GSE Associates, explaining to other board members that he has been unimpressed with The Merlin Group. “They know what I think of their work,” he said.
After lengthy discussion, a third motion offered by L.P. Bordelon was unanimously approved and will charge Martin with making the final decision. The superintendent will present his choice at the next board meeting in about three weeks.
“It is my firm belief that this is the superintendent’s responsibility,” explained Bordelon. “I think [this] is the proper way to proceed.”
The Walter Land Company donated land in February to accommodate the new facility, which will be funded by $10 million in federal loans. However, it’s unclear whether the new building will be a middle or elementary school.
The Terrebonne Parish School Board authorized a five-year, $7.6 million contract with First Student, a Cincinnati-based transportation company. * File photo / Tri-Parish Times
