The Hamilton County School Board voted unanimously to issue a Request-for-Proposals (RFP) to private bus companies at a special-called session early Saturday afternoon.
The vote came at the end of a two-day strategy session where the school board has confronted a list of challenges but the busing question, spurred by the tragic bus wreck in November that killed six elementary school students in Chattanooga, caused a good number of the system's 49 independent drivers to attend the meeting.
As board member Karitsa Jones pointed out, the RFP is simply a request for a bid that the school board does not necessarily have to accept.
She said the parameters - a four-year contract with up to 30 monitors on the buses - allow school officials and bus companies, such as Durham School Services that has been operating buses for the school district, to begin plans for the 2017-18 school year.
The independent drivers, now limited to one bus route each, were granted an additional 20 routes in the school board's quest to use more drivers but several on the school board wanted more than 20, pushing the number of independent drivers as high as 100 by this fall. The vote was 6-3 on adding the 20 independent routes.
Also in question is a pay raise and better benefits for the independent drivers, but no action was taken on various formulas.
"We have begged to add additional buses because it makes both economic and practical sense," said independent driver spokesman Jason Welch. "The proposal is to allow each operator to have three buses and we believe if the school board would allow that - most counties in Tennessee do - I really believe we could add as many as 100 drivers by next fall."
"I personally think the independent drivers, with pay increases and benefits added, could go back to what worked in Chattanooga for many years before the city and county merged," he said. "Nashville handles its own buses and a lot of other school district do because it is safer, better managed, and easier to make changes."
Others are not so sure. Right now there are close to 260 various school bus routes in the county but driver Welch feels strongly some routes need to be consolidated to be more cost efficient, and he said the whole process needs to be streamlined. "Let's face it, we have fewer riders. Population demographics are changing and the whole market place is different."
A huge misconception masks the actual numbers of what the independent drivers expect from the school board, it was stated. "When we first started talking we were asked for a 'wish list' and who wouldn't want a million dollars?" Mr. Welch laughed. "Our group submitted $345 a day, which we know is unreasonable, but what is the bottom line? How many routes can we get independent drivers to fill if we don't know what will be open, how many buses each independent drivers can own, or what the new pay scale will be?"
Mr. Welch said he understands Durham Services and other private companies need a basis for their bids "but so do we," he added.
Board members praised Friday night's "strategic session" but not so much on Saturday. "Our moderator asked that we get together again and settle a lot of what is still up in the air," said one board member.
Another wants the board to meet in committee to work out the new contract for independent bus drivers and urged his colleagues to allow three buses and as many routes as the independents can fill. "We should be leaving here with a contract proposal for the independent drivers and they should know that can have up to three buses -- with drivers they would hire -- in order to plan accordingly. I am sorry but we were pretty dysfunctional today versus last night."