Layoffs Possible As Wallingford Changes School Transportation Provider

WALLINGFORD, CT — Durham School Services has notified the Connecticut Department of Labor that 111 employees could be laid off due to the Wallingford school district’s agreement with a new transportation provider.

Wallingford Superintendent of Schools Danielle Bellizzi notified families last week that the district recently signed a service agreement with Specialty Transportation Inc.

Specialty Transportation will become the district’s transportation provider for in-district transportation beginning July 1, according to Bellizzi.

As a result of losing the contract with Wallingford schools, Durham School Services notified the state Department of Labor through a WARN notice of “upcoming likely employee separations.”

The layoffs are expected to begin June 15, according to the WARN notice.

Of the 111 affected employees, 52 are drivers. The other positions include 23 “Driver Non-CDL,” 17 “Bus Assistant,” six “Casual Driver” and five “Driver In Training,” according to the WARN notice.

“We anticipate that many of the affected employees may become employed by the new school bus transportation provided for the District,” Corina Nelson, human resources director for Durham School Services, wrote in the notice.

Specialty Transportation has been providing student transportation services for 20 years and now serves a number of Connecticut communities including West Hartford, Avon, Berlin, and Guilford, according to Bellizzi.

“In preparation for this change, Specialty Transportation is in the process of adding to its fleet of over 300 school buses, student transportation vehicles, and charter vehicles,” Bellizzi said in the message to parents. “In addition, the company will soon add another school bus terminal in Wallingford. They are also in the process of bringing on additional employees, hiring most of our current roster of drivers to operate their buses in the fall. Furthermore, representatives of Specialty Transportation will soon begin working with the district’s transportation director in reviewing current bus routes and schedules to ensure that this transition to a new bus company is as seamless as possible.”

Bellizzi said more information about the new partnership will be provided over the summer.

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