RGRTA will continue to bus city school district students to school next year
That decision came Tuesday night when the school board voted 6-to-1 to enter into a contract with RGRTA.
It will mean fewer students using the new transit center, which comes after a number of incidents involving students at the new downtown facility.
With less than two months before the school bell rings again for students, some board members felt the pressure to find those students transportation.
“I hate to use the phrase because the administration has used the phrase, but it’s the best deal we could get for the time,” board member Willa Powell told Time Warner Cable News.
Some board members said they were concerned the new contract is more expensive than the last one and will provide less service.
School Board President Van White cast the lone ‘no’ vote. He isn't comfortable with the additional $10.6 million it will take to bus charter school students and those attending Wilson Magnet High School.
"For me, I would have liked to have known how are we going to avoid programmatic cuts, and how are we going to be able to avoid layoffs," White said.
Even though White wasn't ready to agree to the new RTS contract, he sounded conciliatory when asked about the board's final decision.
"I think they made a sound decision and we'll just have to rely on Dr. Vargas' word and his team that nothing that happens with this budget will affect our families or our staff."
White said it will be up to the superintendent and his staff to figure out how to cover the extra costs.
Another company, MV Transportation, said earlier this week it would be able to provide bus transportation in Rochester this fall, but most of the board did not feel it would be possible to enter into an agreement with another company in time for the start of the new school year.
