GUILDERLAND — Officers of the local union that includes bus drivers and mechanics ex-pressed concerns to the school board last week about a $10,000 efficiency study on busing students.

The board had approved a $9,850 contract with Transport a-ti on Advisory Services in November after comments were made during budget discussions that the district should look at privatization.

Bruce Shank, president of the Guilderland School District National Education Association of New York, stood at the micro-phone with Vice President Jeff Haines, Treasurer Mike Liegot, and Secretary Sharon Osterhout at the start of last Tuesday’s meeting.

The local NEA represents a total of 200 employees, Shank said; 66 have been with the district more than 10 years and 110 are Guilderland residents.
Shank said the NEA was hurt by discussions of privatization. Workers give their "heart and soul" to their jobs, he said.

Since learning about the study, Shank said, some of the employees have started seeking other jobs, which could result in a loss of drivers.

He asked why the district would have built a new bus facility two years ago if it planned to move to private contractors.

Shank also pointed to the district's record of 90 percent or more buses passing the required inspection by the state’s Department of Transportation.

He asked how the safety of buses would be affected with others doing the repairs.
"Our current staff is deeply committed to doing the best job possible every day," said Shank.

He told the board members that he and the other NEA officers were available to meet and talk at any time. Then packets were distributed to the board members and the district’s administrative staff. Shank said the packets had two items to ponder — a news article on the nation-wide shortage of school-bus drivers, and an invitation to shadow the bus drivers as they work.
"We recognize the difficult jobs bus drivers, mechanics, custodians, cafeteria workers have," responded Superintendent Gregory Eidola. The study will consider "all aspects," Aidala said.

Study’s scope

The study, which is to take 90 days, is to be completed by March, before the proposal for next year’s district budget is re-viewed, Assistant Superintendent for Business Neil Sanders told the school board before it approved the contract in November.
"You’re bringing in people who...can bring an objective eye," said Aidala at the time. Self-analysis can become self-fulfilling, he said, explaining why the study couldn’t be done in-house.

A memorandum from Sanders to the board members said the company was formed in 1987; its main office is in western New York and it has a secondary office in Florida. TAS has provided a wide range of transportation studies for over 400 school districts and agencies in 16 states, said Sanders, who recommended the contract.

Sanders outlined 10 areas on which TAS will focus. It will conduct an in-depth analysis of Guilderland’s current trans-port at ion operation and compare it to similar local operations, both contracted and district-operated.

TAS will also conduct a financial analysis, including the cost of changes, comparing current costs to industry norms, and recommending ways to be more efficient.

TAS will explore privatization, including the impact of selling Guilderland’s bus fleet and the potential to lease the district’s new transportation facility.

Also, TAS will review the current routing process to insure compliance with district policies and to check for efficiency.

TAS will review policy with an emphasis on improving the program’s effectiveness. Labor agreements and the labor structure will be analyzed along with a comparative review of benefit and wage data.

TAS will review fleet replacement and the spare-bus ratio in conjunction with bus maintenance.

Management options will be examined, including contracting some or all of the transportation operations.

And, finally, TAS will create a report card for the transportation program with recommendations for improvement where needed.