Schools seek transportation savings

By Harold Gwin

The transportation workers’ union has promised a fight if the contract is approved.

YOUNGSTOWN — The chairman of the city school board’s business committee said he will recommend the board give Community Bus Services Inc. a contract to manage Youngstown’s transportation program if a review of the company’s proposal proves the district can save $500,000 a year.

The guarantee is $500,000, but the savings should actually amount to $600,000 a year, Terry Thomas, CBS president, told the committee Monday. Youngstown is paying about $6 million a year for transportation.

Michael Murphy, Business Committee chairman, said he wants both the school district’s treasurer and the board’s outside Financial Advisory Committee to examine the CBS five-year contract proposal to separately determine if the cost savings is there.

Lock P. Beachum Sr., chairman of the board’s Finance Committee, said he wants the numbers presented for his committee’s review as well.

If the numbers are good, Murphy said he will recommend that the board approve a contract with the company.

That’s despite a threat from Local 1143 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union to take action against the school district if the contract is approved.

The union represents district transportation and other employees.

Jack Filak, regional director of AFSCME Ohio Council 8, told the school board last month that awarding the contract would result in the filing of a grievance and the issue’s being pushed to arbitration.

“We think it’s a violation of our contract,” he told the board.

Thomas said the company isn’t making any staffing proposals in its offer of a “support services” contract.

That is up to the school district, he said.

Both Murphy and Beachum have said they won’t touch the union contract.

However, Murphy said Monday that the primary responsibility after student safety is to cut district expenses. Youngstown was placed in fiscal emergency by the state in November 2006 after its general fund began running a deficit.

“We’re here to save money, anyway we can,” Murphy said, adding that his committee wants reports from the treasurer and Financial Advisory Committee as soon as possible.

The CBS proposal said the company can save the district money by trimming the number of daily bus routes from 51 to 40 and by making other administrative changes.

CBS would bear the cost of outfitting 40 district buses with digital video recorder/global positioning system devices to track routes, a cost estimated at $160,000, as well as the $200,000 expense in personnel and materials to implement the rerouting.

gwin@vindy.com