FRAMINGHAM - The Framingham School Committee voted to continue their contract with vendor NRT Bus, Inc. through next year—though just through leasing their buses—in preparation for the implementation of an in-house school bus system.

City officials are still looking to launch an in-house model to begin the next school year. The vote made during the School Committee’s meeting on Wednesday, September 4, helps pave the way for NRT’s buses to be operated by drivers hired as city employees. Back in March, the School Committee voted to stick with NRT for the 2024-25 school year before shifting to an in-house system next July.

Students in the Framingham Public Schools (FPS) system continue to feel the strain of the local bus driver shortage. Executive Director of Finance and Operations for the school district Lincoln Lynch described the ongoing situation as “pretty rough” on Wednesday, as families have expressed their continued frustration amid the shortage.

Lynch noted on Wednesday that NRT is currently providing 53 drivers to serve Framingham; the city’s contract with the company calls for 77. It’s a continuation of problems seen during the 2023-24 school year, when just 57 drivers were providing transportation to and from local schools.

Lynch explained that 5,660 students are currently assigned for bus service, while over 800 students are still awaiting assignments. The latter includes late registrations and ineligible students.

In her recent email newsletter, District 7 City Councilor Leora Mallach mentioned that legal action related to the busing situation has been taken by the city, while bids for additional buses from another vendor have been submitted with the intention of charging NRT.

Amid the ongoing shortage, Lynch told the School Committee that it is difficult to interview driver candidates while advising them that they will have to wait roughly 10 months prior to driving within a city-ran model. He added that posting for in-house drivers could result in current NRT drivers applying, resulting in no net gain in drivers currently servicing Framingham families this year.

“You could ask (NRT) to lease buses now—right now—and hire FPS drivers now,” Lynch said on Wednesday.

“You could do that, but I think if we do that, we’re going to get NRT drivers coming to work for us…I think the best situation, the best possible scenario, is that we start July 1.”

District 4 School Committee member Adam Freudberg, who has been a major proponent of in-house busing, called upon city officials to work towards getting the ball rolling on securing in-house drivers now by providing signing bonuses, billing NRT wherever applicable, and establishing the proper steps prior to the official change to an in-house system.

“I understand that there might be some tradeoffs, but this is a hard transition, and a pilot program to get even a few drivers in-house early with the understanding that everyone else will follow…is what we as a committee should really focus on right now,” Freudberg continued.

“Because those numbers of how many kids are turned away who need rides continues to be appalling.”

Lynch said he and his team are continuing to push for more visibility for these jobs, as local officials will be present at job fairs and other local meetings to get job posting information out.

In the meantime, Framingham school officials continue to highlight alternative transportation methods. A carpool platform has been created in the city, while bikes are being made available to middle and high school students at no cost.