Akron school board members have raised concerns in recent weeks about van transportation costs for students with disabilities and those experiencing homelessness, stating the external services are running millions of dollars over budget.
Still, the board, in a special meeting on March 30, delayed action on whether to renew contracts with Buckeye Logistics & Transit and Templeton Transportation, citing a lack of clarity about next steps.
Transportation services are projected to cost about $11.4 million this school year — roughly a $4 million budget overrun, board member Nathan Jarosz said in an interview. The increase comes as the district faces mounting financial pressure, making $11 million in planned cuts due to a lack of revenue and rising expenses.
With transportation, some of the confusion — and rising expenses — stems from how costs were estimated, according to information shared by Debra Foulk, the school district’s executive director of business affairs, at a Feb. 18 Legal and Contracts Committee meeting.
Foulk said the district budgeted costs per student, while the request for proposals was structured per route — two approaches that can produce significantly different totals.
For example, costs were about $26 per student, compared with roughly $219 per route regardless of how many students were on board. Because of this, Jarosz, who chairs the Legal and Contracts Committee, urged fellow school board members not to renew the contracts, arguing they lack basic accountability measures.
“They lack the performance, accountability, operational safeguards and risk protections necessary to ensure consistent, safe and reliable student transportation,” Jarosz said during the March 23 school board meeting.
Agreements with Buckeye Logistics & Transit and Templeton Transportation — both set to expire on June 30 — require board action in the coming weeks.
During the March 30 meeting, the board approved an addendum to the preexisting van transportation agreement, extending the timeline by 30 days to decide whether to renew the contracts, giving members more time to review the agreements and continue discussions with vendors.
Without the extension, Jarosz said the contract with Buckeye Logistics & Transit would have automatically expired.
The school board’s delayed action allows time to revisit the topic in the next Legal and Contracts Committee meeting on April 15 before it potentially returns to the full board. A final decision on the contracts is expected before the end of April.
Board President Barbara Sykes questioned why the proposal advanced to the full board without key questions resolved in committee. Soon after, the motion was withdrawn and returned to committee for further review, leaving the school district without a clear path forward. Jarosz said he would work with the committee, which includes co-chair Phil Montgomery, a fellow school board member. Jarosz said the external transportation contracts:
- Lack enforceable performance standards — such as on-time pickup rates and missed route thresholds — leaving the school district with “no way of truly assessing the effectiveness” of the vendors.
- Lack clear requirements for route efficiency and occupancy, allowing vendors to be paid even when routes are inefficient
- The process does not include a formal dispute resolution process or clearly defined insurance requirements.
These issues, Jarosz added, have been compounded by frequent leadership turnover in Akron schools.
“We have had three different superintendents in the last four years,” he said. “When we have such instability … that makes consistency and stability unlikely.”
“If we can save $1 million or $2 million on this item, those are jobs. Those are programs that relate to our students,” he said.
APS Board members divided on ending contracts
Other board members pushed back, saying the school district should focus on fixing existing processes rather than ending contracts without a replacement plan.
“This contract was voted on 7-0. This is not new math,” board member Gregory Harrison said. “No one is bringing a new solution to a problem here today.”
Board member Summer Hall said the district has struggled with transportation issues for years and still lacks a clear strategy, arguing that many of the problems raised are the responsibility of the administration, not the vendors.
She said she previously raised concerns about route inefficiencies and capacity.
“We need to look at the numbers instead of putting these contractors through the same process every year,” Hall said.
Montgomery said he was uncomfortable making a decision without clear alternatives.
“We cannot continue to operate this way,” he said. “It’s just very unclear once we take action, what is the next step.”
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Vendors await response, offer to renegotiate
Brandy Vickers, CEO of Buckeye Logistics & Transit, told Signal Akron the company has not been contacted by Akron Public Schools about negotiations or potential next steps.
“Last night was my first night hearing everything,” Vickers said during the phone interview.
Dara Templeton, CEO of Templeton Transportation, said she reached out to board members last month offering to renegotiate the contract, but has not received a response.
She said her company has not been directly informed of any concerns about its performance and is willing to work with the district to reduce costs, citing its experience serving other school districts across Northeast Ohio.
Said Templeton: “I would be fully willing to sit down and renegotiate.”
