Dist. 202 Stays with Current Bus Companies

The board voted Monday to remain with with its current transportation providers for the next three years, despite receiving a lower bids for the services.

First Student, which was the second lowest bidder to transport regular and vocational education students, was awarded the contract for about $28.6 million.

School officials said low-bidder Illinois Central did not meet all the criteria set forth in the bid specifications, which required companies to have worked at least 10 years with a large unit district transporting more than 10,000 students or to show their principal owners have at least 10 years' management experience transporting more than 10,000 students.

Illinois Central bid about $27.1 million for transporting regular education students, about $1.5 million less than First Student.

If First Student runs the same routes next year, the cost for transportation will go up between $95,000 and $191,000, depending on how much the state reimburses the district.

The district also awarded Septran, the current special education provider, the transportation contract for about $16 million, which was about $303,000 higher than Illinois Central’s bid of $15.7 million. The district has more flexibility when awarding a special education transportation contract and can consider the safety and comfort of students with special needs and disabilities when deciding on the lowest responsible bidder.

Before the vote, Illinois Central representative Dan O’Brien said the company has experience dealing with large districts and urged the board to consider the savings that would result from its contract.

In other news, the district plans to replace the heating, ventalation and air-conditioning units at Grand Prairie Elementary School this summer. The work is expected to cost $826,000, with $740,000 coming from an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grant. The remaining $86,000 will be funded through the district's construction fund.

District officials said the 39-year-old HVAC units are in need of extensive repairs but weren’t stated to be replaced until 2014. The grant allows the district to replace the units this summer and free up construction dollars for other projects.

Finally, the school board approved nearly 200 high school students districtwide to attend the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates for a single day conference at the University of Illinois at Chicago later this month.

About 50 students from each of the four high schools were chosen based on their personal interests, coursework and co-curricular activities.

The students will get to learn from such leaders as former President Jimmy Carter; former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, former Mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni, former President of Poland Lech Walesa; former President of South Africa Willem deKlerk; and the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, among others.

Topics will focus on promoting peace and justice, building a fair and sustainable world and having a world without nuclear weapons and will be broadcast on the Internet.