School district may try farming out bus service

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Monday, April 12, 2004 | 10:42 a.m.

Clark County School District officials are determining whether contracting out transportation services for the district's magnet school programs could save money.

"In order to assure the public we're getting the biggest bang for their buck we occasionally have to do a comparison of our costs versus what the outside guys say they could do the job for," Walt Rulffes, deputy superintendent of operations for the district, said. "We've looked into outsourcing food services and custodial services, but until now we haven't done a serious examination of transportation."

It makes sense to use the magnet schools program as a potential pilot study, Rulffes said.

"We wouldn't want to experiment on a district-wide basis and risk disrupting services for our students," Rulffes said. "The magnet school program is small enough that we could step back in quickly if things weren't working out."

The magnet school bus routes have been a source of frustration for parents and students for years, said D.J. Stutz, president of the Nevada PTA. In many instances students must ride one bus from their local school to a transfer site and then board a second bus for the ride to the magnet school.

"You have kids who have to be up and ready two hours earlier than normal and spend more than an hour each way on buses," Stutz said. "That's a long time for kids, especially when you're talking about first, second or third graders."

Stutz said she would want more information as to how drivers hired by the contracting companies would be trained and screened.

"If contracting out transportation would cut down on the amount of time a kid has to sit on the bus, that would certainly make the plan more appealing," Stutz said. "We want to make sure parents and students are getting the best possible services."

Several private bus companies have contacted the district and expressed interest in provide services, Rulffes said. The discussions have not reached the stage where formal proposals or cost estimates have been submitted, Rulffes said.

Valerie Flores, general manager for Illinois-based Laidlaw Transit's operations in the Las Vegas Valley, said she was unaware that the school district was considering opening up transportation to outside bids. Laidlaw is contracted with the Regional Transportation Commission to provide bus services to riders with disabilities.

"We would certainly like to find out more about what the (school district) is considering," Flores said. "Depending on whether the circumstances were right for us in terms of cost benefits, we would probably be very interested."

It's unlikely that outsourcing a small portion of the district's transportation services would result in job cuts for current drivers, Rulffes said.

"We're always looking for more drivers and it seems like we're adding new routes all the time," Rulffes said, noting the district will open 14 new schools in August. "I don't think any employee should feel that contracting would threaten their job security."

The district's total transportation budget for the 2003-04 academic year is $68 million, and includes 1,180 buses operating on hundreds of routes. Transportation for the magnet school sites -- which draw students from throughout the district for special programs in the arts, sciences and humanities -- require 140 buses.

Joe Furtado, executive director of the Education Support Employees Association, said the union representing the district's bus drivers would oppose contracting out any transportation services.

"That work is for our people, or for future drivers who will become our people," Furtado said last Thursday.

Furtado said he had additional questions, including how the district planned to conduct background checks on contracted drivers.

An attempt by district officials last year to put students from three high schools on Citizen Area Transport buses was dismantled after angry parents voiced safety concerns. Furtado said he expected the district's latest proposal will ultimately be derailed for the same reason.

"(Clark County School District) employees are the ones who will best protect the students," Furtado said. "And our folks can do it (the job) at the best price for the taxpayer."