At a recent School Committee meeting, Superintendent Kathryn Crowley said the district is still paying Ocean State Transot for use of its fleet and monitors while distributing meals to students involved in the school lunch program during the pandemic, albeit a reduced sum. And that arrangement has been going relatively well. That expense will make up the bulk of debits the district will have owed Ocean State for the final three months of the 19-20 term.

Overall, Superintendent Crowley said transit companies have been “squeezing districts a little bit” all across the state and that most districts are “seeking a roll-over” of their current contracts on existing terms, but that “bus companies don’t seem to be willing to do that.” She said some are dealing with an increase in costs as much as 9 percent at the start of their next deals.

Specific to East Providence, the new owners are refusing to adhere to an agreement between district and the previous proprietor to extend the current pact by a year through the 2020-21 term. The superintendent reminded the committee Ocean State, without provocation, approached the district about an extension last year. The sides subsequently agreed on terms and the School Committee approved the contract at a June 25, 2019 meeting.

At that time, district director of operations Diana Clarkin told the committee because of mandates associated with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act along with requirements by the state Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), the district had incurred significant increases in its transportation budget due to those factors.

To address the situation, Director Clarkin recommended taking a deal being offered then by Ocean State to extend the contract between the parties that was scheduled to end in June 2020 by one year. Key to the extension, it repealed the three-percent annual increase included in the previous pact, a savings of between $80,000-$85,000, Ms. Clarkin explained then. In addition, the director recommended adding either one or two buses to the district’s fleet to meet the McKinney-Vento and ESSA dictates, which would actually save about $100,000. The committee approved that item in a separate vote last summer.

Superintendent Crowley said the new owners “feel they don’t have to honor that” because the extension was never formalized in writing. But, Ms. Clarkin corresponded with Ocean State by email last June, noting the committee approved the continuation of the contract under the agreed upon terms and the company, in kind, acknowledged its part of the bargain. The superintendent told the committee the district’s legal counsel, the firm of Brennan Recupero Cascione Scungio & McAllister, was now reviewing the matter.

“The bus companies are not being cooperative at this time, which is extremely unfortunate,” Superintendent Crowley said.

If the previously agreed upon roll-over of the contract falls through, the district will have to immediately go out to bid to secure a new transportation agreement for the 2020-21 term scheduled to begin later this summer.