Aging Bus Fleet Primary Reason for Outsourcing Transportation at Trenton Public Schools

The Trenton Public School district has 20 buses, and the average age of the buses is about 13 years old.

With bus repair costs piling up and even higher costs anticipated for the coming years, Trenton Board of Education members voted in favor of outsourcing district transportation Monday. Bus repairs and maintenance costs are expected to grow exponentially in the coming years according to Vince Porreca, principal at Hedke Elementary School. Porreca was one of three former superintendent interns who began researching and analyzing outsourcing district transportation in January and presented their findings to the school board. The district has a fleet of 20 buses that are, on average, about 13 years old, and repairs have proved costly. The original amount budgeted for bus repairs for the 2011-2012 school year was $32,123 and repair costs have …

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sine-of-the-times

11:31 pm on Monday, July 2, 2012

It really made me feel better knowing our bus driver, and she knew our kids, because she had a vested interest. It will be interesting to see how the "replacements" do. I hope the drivers find new quality jobs...once again, this is sad for Trenton, and American workers. Please remember these issues when you vote in November.   more ›

Trenton School Board Votes to Outsource Busing

District busing has been outsourced in Trenton, but what does that mean for the current staff of over 20 drivers?

After six months of consideration, Trenton Board of Education members voted unanimously to outsource district busing Monday night at the regularly scheduled board of education meeting. Budget conditions and an aging bus fleet were blamed for the decision. The recommendation came after months of research and analyzing from the three former superintendent interns Vince Porreca, principal at Hedke Elementary School; Stephanie O'Connor, principal at Arthurs Middle School and Rodney Wakeham, assistant principal at Trenton High School. Three transportation companies were considered to take over all district busing, including staff, and the former interns selected Lansing based Dean Transportation. Wakeham and Porreca were at the meeting to give …

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Bob the Builder

10:09 am on Saturday, June 30, 2012

Dean does offer medical...for a price. Combine the weekly deduction with the lower salary they pay and there isn't much left for your family. For a TPS driver to get medical now, you must have a bid run of at least 6 hours a day. That 'qualifies' you to PURCHASE your medical at the price of $2.70 an hour. And that is for EVERY hour you work, not just your bid hours. So every night and Saturday …   more ›

District Looking Into Privatizing Busing

In an effort to continue providing busing for the 2012-13 school year, Trenton Board of Education members voted in favor of a request for proposal for the privatization of district busing.

Trenton Board of Education members approved a request for proposal for the privatization of district busing for the 2012-13 school year at Monday's regularly scheduled board of education meeting. Superintendent interns Stephanie O'Connor, Vince Porreca and Rodney Wakeham presented a request for proposal to board members Monday night to determine the overall cost of turning over all or part of district busing to an outside company. Selling or leasing the district busing facility and vehicles, including buses, was also part of the proposal. Wakeham said one of the complications with privatizing busing and selling the bus fleet is the difficulty involved with the potential to go back to district run busing. He added companies might be …

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UPDATE: BTS News Brief: Bus Routes Have Changed

Busing routes have changed. These are the new routes for the 2011-12 school year.

UPDATE: The busing routes have changed. These are the new routes for the 2011-12 school year. Trenton Patch has your need-to-know Back to School information, beginning with bus routes for general education students. Busing was recently reinstated and parents have been asking "Who gets to take the bus and who doesn't?" and we have your answer. Below you will find a chart indicating the bus routes for elementary school, middle school and high school students in Trenton.

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Stuff You Need to Know: Aug. 11

Here are a few things to help you get your day started right.

Good morning Trenton. Here's a rundown of what you need to know today.

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Stuff You Need to Know: Aug. 10

Here are a few things to help you get your day started right.

Good morning Trenton. Here's a rundown of what you need to know today.

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A Resident's Response

Band-Aid Applied to Student Transportation

Local man responds to Trenton Public Schools regaining student transportation for the 2011-2012 school year.

The Board of Education meeting Monday night was an important night for the district, especially for the students, as the community can take a collective sigh of relief that student transportation has been reinstated for the 2011-2012 school year.  Although Superintendent Leapley's recommendation was stressed to be only temporary, it may give the community enough time to adjust to the dramatic change if this difficult decision presents itself again next year without any sort of immediate solution. What happens if surprise funding isn't available weeks before school starts? While adjusting could be difficult, a lot of good points were raised during the meeting; especially on maintaining the safety of students commuting by foot. From crossing…

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Update: Funding for Trenton Busing Not Permanent

The funding used to reinstate busing for Trenton Public Schools general education students is a one-time-only solution.

After six weeks of searching for funds to reinstate busing for general education students, a large portion of the more than $446,000 needed for transportation was provided to the district in the form of delinquent taxes. There were several other cost savings that contributed to the goal of reinstating busing, but delinquent taxes and money initially set aside for the demolition of Taylor Elementary School made up the majority of the funds. Interim Superintendent Larry Leapley made the recommendation to reinstate general education busing for the 2011-12 school year at a regularly scheduled Trenton Public Schools Board of Education meeting Monday night, and it passed unanimously. The decision pleased parents in the audience, but the solution…

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