Public and private partnerships for school bus transportation

. Provide an overview of the options for bus contracting (may need to talk with others who have already actually done this)

The are many options related to the bus contracting. The first option would be to all bus operators to bid for contracts to operate bus services on behalf of the public-school board. This option is viable as it allows the free market system to dictate pricing as oppose to simply budgeting a set amount towards transportation which has been historically done. This competition can also increase quality of busines transportation as bids may be higher priced by offer much more reliability and value relative to traditional methods. The assets will still be owned by the school district, thus lowering the barriers to entry in the market. This is because potential operators will not need to invest large sums of money into buses but can instead leverage the existing assets more efficiently, thus allowing more competition as it relates to pricing. In exchange the boss operators selected will be paid a fixed fee with additional incentives related to performance, timeliness, cleanliness and so forth (Allen, 1976).

Another option would be to allow bidders to own the entire transportation value chain. Here, the operators will fully mange and operate the entire system, and will be contractually accountable for its performance. This oversight will include elements such as vehicle maintenance, procurement, communication, scheduling, and finance. In this option, the school district will set the set the budgets, services standards and other policy matters. The option provides the best transportation system possible as the private sector, which has more efficiency and financial incentives, can ultimately provide better services. They will be much more cost efficient, more reliable, and offer better services through innovation. In exchange however, these options will cost the school district more, being slightly offset by not having the existing vehicle maintenance and labor costs.

2. Identify several possible vendors

According to Schoolbusfleet.com (Source: https://www.schoolbusfleet.com/custom-content/10050084/top-40-contractor-fleets-of-2018) the top 4 vendors for ABC district are

· First Student – Existing fleet of 44,000 buses with 1,100 district contracts, transporting roughly 2.5 million students

· National Express LLC – Existing fleet of 21,500 buses, serving 550 districts, and transporting 1 million students

· Student Transportations Inc. – Existing fleet of 13,500 buses, servicing 290 school districts, and transporting 1.2 million students

· North American Central School Bus – Existing fleet of 3000 buses, servicing 115 school districts and transporting 205,000 students.

3. Identify the potential legal issues including negotiations.

There are several legal issues that can impact overall negotiations which all have a residual impact on costs. The first legal issue will be related to distance limitations. How far from the school will the buses be required to travel to transport students? In accordance with Education Law section 3635, districts must provide transportation to students who reside within 15 miles of the school. However, will ABC school district need services beyond this 15-mile threshold? What about student who live less than 1.5 miles away from school, should they be eligible for transportation services. The legal issues here related to access and denial or services within a given radius (Miller, 2001).

Another legal issue, although infrequent, is bus strikes. Here the district must examine remediation tactics which can include one-month emergency contracts which are detailed in Education Law section 305(14)(b). In addition, the district has the legal right to contract specifically with parents as it relates to transportation for the children to and from school. In addition, the legal language must be outlined on how the school district can replace the existing provider in the event of a strike.

4. Using the four frames of leadership, apply Bolman & Deal’s four frames to this situation.

· Structural – Strategy designed to set measurable goals and clarify tasks. Here the goal is to reduce transportation costs materially while also improving operation efficiency. The tasks will be related to identifying vendors, selecting vendors, and communicating the outcomes to all impacted stakeholders.

· Human Resources – Strategy designed to leverage human capital and allowing for personal growth and job satisfaction. Here the goal is to allow existing workers to continue receiving pay for six months if they are impacted by the change in transportation method. In addition, current employees will be heavily involved in the decision-making process to ensure that it fulfills the needs of students and faculty alike

· Political – Strategy to address the political concerns of the issue. Here, many of the school board members are members of the impacted sector. In addition, nearly 70 employees will be impacted. The strategy here is to incorporate their needs to make the transition as seamless and painless as possible. This will include 6 months of continued pay without having to work. It will also include ample communication to allow these individuals to adjust if needed.

· Symbolic – Strategy to address a person need for purpose. Here, education is widely regarding as an important element within society. As a result, the sense of purpose is to lower transportation costs to improve efficient operations. These cost savings can then be used to help other areas within the school itself.

5. Clearly identify the time line or sequence

· Describe and detail the problem associate with the current transit system and the possible solutions (1 week)

· Allow time for board member research and discussion related to the problems and solutions (1 Month)

· Identify a solution (1 week)

· Implement that solution through selection of a proper vendor ( 1 Month)

· Review vendor proposals (1 Month)

· Discussion and selection of vendor (2 weeks)

· Finalize all legal paperwork and documentation (1 Month)

· Communicate the change to all impacted stakeholders ( 3 Months)

6. Identify all the obstacles to change (organizational, historical, contract, legal, human skills and knowledge, cultural, pedagogical, etc.)

The first option would to be to gradually phase in bus contracting to allow existing workers to find supplementary jobs and to allow the school district to prepare for contract work. The gradual phase in of contracting will also limit the adverse conditions that would occur with the roughly 70 workers that would be impacted. However, in exchange for this, the cost savings that would accrue to the school district would be lower, as the phase in would require many of the individuals to be paid.

7. Describe the proposed process for making decisions moving forward in planning the process.

The proposed process for making decisions related to planning will involve the school board and their overall approval. Plans will be presented as it relates to overall implementation of the changes. Feedback will be provided from the parents, staff, community members and other stakeholders. The school board will then take this feedback and adopt within their overall planning phase. Once finalized the school board will vote to adopt the policy. If accepted the plan goes into effect. If not, the process will then need to be changed to accommodate any shortcomings.

8. Define the roles of staff in sharing in the process for identifying the problem, solution, planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation.

The role of staff will be critical in this process. For one, staff can provide insights that members of the school board may not possess. As front-line employees, they often see the daily routines and inefficiencies relates to student transportation. As a result, they can help to identify the problem. They can also help in monitoring and evaluating the performance of the new vendor as they too have access to many of the mechanisms that will need to be reviewed. Here it is important to have active lines of communication to ensure that all teachers feel involved in the process. It is also important to cultivate a culture in which all staff feel empowered to leverage their knowledge for the benefit of the school district as a whole.

9. What Board policies or contracts exist that may help or hinder this process?

Board policies that would help the process include frequent meetings that will allow members to communicate either their approval or apprehension towards the particular change. This helps the process as it allows for a constant flow of information and leverages the experience of each board member. However, the negative attribute is that a decision could be delayed due to all the discussion which ultimately makes the process much more costly.

10. How would communication be handled moving forward?

Communication going forward will be handled through the public relations team and the leadership from the school district. It is important to have one unified voice as it relates to communication of the coming change. In addition, the communication should be heavily digital based to allow parents, teachers, employees, and other stakeholders to view relevant information when needed. For example, a website can be created to house all the new information. This website should also include frequently asked questions to allow all stakeholders to understand the change. In addition, the school board meeting will again be a very good option of communicating the coming change. Admittedly, the meetings will be contentious as a few members of the board are heavily involved in the transportation sector. The goal here is communicate frequently and engage with all stakeholders so that they understand the change.