STATEWIDE OUT-OF-DISTRICT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

• LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

   

  • RIDE, RIPTA and the Office of Statewide Planning were mandated by the General Assembly 2006 session to create a plan for the implementation of a statewide student busing system, initially for special education and out-of-district students and eventually for all students.
  • The Governor’s FY 2009 supplemental budget included a mandate for statewide transportation, which was accepted by both the House and Senate. The mandate includes all districts (except those self-operating districts) and will allow the project to realize the most cost savings and time efficiencies.

   

• WORK TO DATE

   

  • A national transportation consultant (Management Partnership Services, Inc, “MPS”) was chosen to assist with this work.
  • MPS and RIDE staff has met with every district’s transportation and/or business manager and every student transportation vendor that does business in RI.
  • MPS used this information to design a statewide system for special education and out-of-district student transportation as well as to estimate savings upon the implementation of the system, with keeping the average student ride time constant or becoming shorter.
  • First Student was chosen through a competitive RFP process as the statewide bus vendor.
  • A Systems Manager, who will provide oversight and management of the statewide system, was chosen through a competitive RFP process.  The chosen vendor, TransPar Group, will maintain all student demographic data, design all routes and schedules, and establish a communications center for districts, parents, and the carrier.
  • A Transportation Advisory Committee has been formed and is having bi-weekly meetings to formulate communication and other policies and standardize the per pupil fee schedules.  This committee is comprised of MPS, RIDE (finance and special education), business managers, transportation managers, superintendents and a representative from the private school sector. 

   

• DISTRICT ROLL-OUT SCHEDULE

The following is the schedule of when certain school districts will be joining the statewide transportation system:

July 2009, special education only:

Central Falls

Cumberland

North Providence

North Smithfield

Smithfield

Woonsocket

September 2009, special education and all out-of-district non-public students (catholic, independent, charter, vocational)

Including all of the districts listed above and

Cranston

Johnston

West Warwick

*Chariho

East Greenwich

Exeter/West Greenwich

Jamestown

Narragansett

South Kingstown

North Kingstown

*Chariho -only special education

        Remainder of districts to join in September 2010 and September 2011.

• OUTREACH MEETINGS

Informational outreach meetings will be held at various locations across the state.  Following is the schedule of meeting dates and times to inform specific groups about the statewide transportation program and to address each group’s specific concerns:

The first group of meetings is for superintendents, special education directors, business managers, transportation directors, other school administrators:

The second group of meetings is geared towards parents/guardians of special education students:

The third group of meetings is for all non-public, vocational and charter school administrators/staff, and parents/guardians of students attending non-public, vocational and charter schools: