School District Outsources Buses

Embarking on a "new direction" for Dorchester District Two, Superintendent Joe Pye announced a transportation contract with Durham School Services, of Warrenville, Ill., June 13 during the district's regular board meeting.

"It's about being efficient; it's about helping our students be as safe as possible," Pye said.

The school district has been exploring this option for the past two years in an effort to improve bus service for the more than 12,000 students that ride the bus each day, according to a press release.

The one-year contract promises no disruptions for student transportation, Pye said.

As one of the fastest growing school districts in the state with nearly 23,000 students, the has been dealing with "an over-taxed bus system of busses running multiple routes each morning and afternoon," according to a press release.

The agreement with Durham would provide additional services such as equipping all busses with video cameras, Zonar GPS systems, and two-way radios for bus drivers. District Chief Financial Officer Allyson Duke said these are very important safety features for bus operations. Durham will also provide two new busses to add to the district fleet of 162 busses.

The current transportation staff and bus drivers will have the opportunity to apply for positions with Durham and those that meet the criteria will be given priority.

The district currently employs approximately 200 employees in the transportation department. The state will continue to perform the maintenance on the 140 busses owned by the state and Durham will take over the maintenance of the 22 district-owned busses.

On its website, Durham School Services touts "increased control of transportation costs," "relief from liability" and "freedom from payroll and complicated personnel issues."

The company also manages the bus services for Charleston County and Beaufort County schools.

The bus transportation line item in the proposed 2011-2012 district operating budget is $4.3 million — a press release describes the contract as "in line" with the budget. The operating budget is funded by state and local funds.

Within the past month, the school district put out a request for proposals for the bus transportation service. Three companies submitted proposals that were reviewed by a five-member evaluation committee.

The committee recommended Durham School Services as providing the best fit for the needs of the district, according to a press release.