State study of student busing in Youngstown averts a battle

Had Ohio Department of Education officials not stepped in, the war of words, and perhaps legal posturing, between the Youngstown City School Board and the state commission controlling the system’s finances would be in full-bore.

But involvement by the state education department should not mean appeasement. Tough questions must be asked — and answered — about the student transportation services contract approved last Tuesday. The 5-2 vote is an indication that what should be a straightforward contract isn’t so.

Of all the questions that have been raised, there is one that forms the basis of the conflict between the school board and the State Fiscal Oversight Commission: Was state law requiring competitive bidding for any public contracts worth $25,000 or more followed to the letter?

Last year, in the midst of the discussion about the transportation services agreement, Roger Nehls, chairman of the commission, warned that the bid document prepared by the school board’s business committee lacked details and specifics needed to attract competitive bids.

In evaluating the bid document, state department of education officials must determine whether the specifications drawn up were such that only one company, Community Busing Services Inc. of Youngstown, could meet them.

And, state officials should determine if the complaints from some of the companies that did not bid because of the time frame of the process have merit. The companies have contended that they had only two weeks to develop their bids, whereas CBS had been working with the school district for months.

CBS currently has a three-year contract with the school district for special needs student transportation. The company is paid just over $1.6 million a year with annual 3.8 percent increases.

When the school board voted to approve the transportation services contract with CBS, it threw down the gauntlet. There was no doubt that the state fiscal oversight commission was going to oppose the action.

Fiscal emergency

Thus, the clash of the two entities loomed large. Given that the Youngstown City School System was declared to be in fiscal emergency in 2006, no money can be spent without the permission of the oversight commission.

Any objective evaluation of the commission’s work will show that Nehls and his colleagues not only guided the district out of its budget tailspin, but have worked with the system in erasing the red ink.

However, fiscal storm clouds are gathering, which is why we argued recently that board members should avoid a fight over the transportation contract.

There are too many other urgent issues that must be dealt with, foremost of which is the fact that the Youngstown school system is the worst academic performing district in the state of Ohio.

As a result of the state-designated academic emergency, a State Academic Distress Commission will come in to guide the district. Three members of the commission will be appointed by the state superintendent of education, while two will be named by school board President Anthony Catale.

There is much work to be done to turn the failing schools around, and Superintendent Wendy Webb and her staff, the principals and teachers and members of the board of education cannot afford to be distracted.

Picking a fight with the fiscal commission is unnecessary and short-sighted.

Taxpayers in the district have grown impatient over the fiscal and academic failures. They are demanding improved results.

The involvement of state department of education in the transportation services contract is to be applauded.