School Committee Supports Bus Acquisition Deal, City Council Takes No Action

FRAMINGHAM - The Framingham School Committee has unanimously given its support for a proposed five-year contract to acquire vehicles for an in-house bus driver system, while the City Council has voted to take no action on the matter.

The contract was submitted for consideration amid the continued bus driver shortage saga in Framingham. Transportation for students to and from classes has been hindered for months; just 53 drivers began the current school year in the city, though Framingham’s contract with their current vendor NRT Bus, Inc. calls for 77 drivers to serve students.

The School Committee and other officials with Framingham Public Schools (FPS) have stumped for an in-house driver system as a result of these ongoing challenges. Back in March, the School Committee voted to recommend implementing an in-house model for the 2025-26 school year. Drivers would be employees of the city through that program, as opposed to the current system where operators are provided through a vendor. Advocates believe that the in-house plan, which is similar to what the city had in place prior to 2011, will result in more comprehensive recruitment strategies and more general oversight for local leaders on school transportation.

School officials have been urging Framingham legislators to support a five-year, lease-to-own contract worth nearly $2.5 million with Anderson Motors to help facilitate the transition. The pitched agreement, which is for 72 buses, was outlined during the City Council’s meeting on Tuesday, December 3.

Executive Director of Finance and Operations for FPS Lincoln Lynch has noted that getting an agreement lined up with a vehicle vendor as soon as possible is key to ensuring that buses are ready by July 1, which is when summer programming for local kids will start. Framingham School Superintendent Dr. Robert Tremblay has pointed out that FPS’s internal deadline to have a deal done is December 15.

During that December 3 City Council meeting, some members of the body called the proposed Anderson contract as an opportunity to invest in future school transportation solutions at an affordable rate. Others felt that the in-house idea had to be fleshed out more before a decision could be made. During that meeting, the City Council moved to table the vote on the contract’s approval.

The School Committee, meanwhile, unanimously approved of the contract during their meeting on Wednesday, December 4. That night, District 7 School Committee member Tiffanie Maskell said she was “really appalled” by what she described as a suggestion that the School Committee has not done its research on an in-house solution.

“I’ve not heard one City Council member stand up to the podium and ask questions,” Maskell remarked on December 4.

“So, how dare they say that we haven’t done our due diligence?”

A December 5 memo from School Committee Chair Jessica Barnhill reiterated the group’s request that the City Council give the green light to the Anderson deal.

On Tuesday, December 10, City Councilors held both an executive session and an open meeting regarding the bus contract with both Lynch and Barnhill present at the Memorial Building. Executive sessions are not open to the public, since they often deal with contracts, legal issues, and other confidential topics.

At-Large City Council member George King moved to take no action on the contract based on what was discussed during the roughly 90 minute executive session. The motion was passed by a 10-0 count; District 5 City Councilor Noval Alexander was unable to access the vote remotely. The open meeting took just under three minutes to complete.

District 8 City Councilor Leslie White Harvey said that the executive session was productive. Tracey Bryant of District 9 concurred, adding that it resulted in the group reaching the agreement to take no action. District 2 City Council member Brandon Ward mentioned that the legislative body was able to revive important legal advice on the matter.

“Some of us have had kids in the schools; (they) may have used the buses or in the future may have kids or family or friends,” White Harvey told attendees on December 10.

“So just know that everything we did, we did with in mind with our children and our families.”