Friday, Jul. 11, 2008

Carroll ISD May Outsource Bus Operations

By Nicholas Sakelaris

Staff Writer

The Carroll school district is considering hiring Dallas County Schools to operate its fleet of school buses.

Faced with soaring fuel costs, trustees are looking for new ways to save money, and outsourcing the bus service may help.

The agreement is still in the early stages, and officials have not yet determined if the move would save the district enough money to make it worthwhile.

If the change happens this year, Derek Citty, assistant superintendent for administrative services, said it would be a seamless transition in which students and parents would notice no difference. The only real change would be that the district’s drivers would get their paychecks from Dallas County Schools, not Carroll.

"I want [drivers] to continue being a part of the Dragon family," Citty said. "I want them to wear the Dragon shirt when they’re driving the bus."

Dallas County Schools would be responsible for liability, salaries and maintaining the buses. DCS would continue using the district’s buses and CISD facilities.

Pooling ridership with Dallas County Schools could help Carroll capture additional state revenue and save money on fuel, Citty said.

"We don’t have the whole financial data yet in place that shows whether it’s a financially feasible solution for us or not," Citty said. "There are more questions right now than answers."

DCS, because of recent changes in state law, can now operate in Tarrant County. The entity has no schools, but has a board of trustees, levies taxes and offers school districts services that include transportation, technology and counseling.

The agreement, if and when it goes into effect, would contain an escape clause by which Carroll could reclaim the buses and resume control of operations.

Trustees will revisit the discussion at its July 14 meeting.

Another option would be to hire a transportation director in conjunction with the Grapevine-Colleyville school district. Previously, Steve Bond oversaw the transportation departments at both Carroll and GCISD, and the districts split his salary.

Last month, Bond left the job for a position in Azle to be closer to home.

Meanwhile, GCISD has also been approached by DCS to operate its bus fleet.

In addition to considering the option presented by DCS, both districts are searching for a new director to take Bond’s place.

Carroll could find itself in a tough position if it doesn’t partner with Dallas County Schools but GCISD does, Citty said. Then Carroll would have to hire its own director and pay a full salary.

In other business:

Trustees decided to redo the entire track at Dawson Middle School rather than just patch up the damage from the April 10 storm.

Trustees voted 6-1, with Trustee Sherri Williams voting no, to spend $170,000 on a new track. Of that, the district will be reimbursed for $70,000 from the district’s insurance company.

Putting in a new track carries a longer warranty. Williams raised concerns about equity at Carroll Middle School because the track there is also in need of repair.

Superintendent David Faltys said the storm damage precipitated the work at Dawson.

Trustees approved a $136,585 contract for painting at Carroll Senior High School and Durham Elementary School. The work will update the finishes in the common areas and hallways at both campuses.

Trustees completed hiring 22 new teachers, a school nurse, an assistant principal and a language arts/social studies coordinator.