Roanoke schools renew transportation contract

Roanoke schools officials renewed a contract Tuesday that will continue the outsourcing of the school system's transportation services.

The Roanoke School Board voted to enter into another five-year agreement with Mountain Valley Transportation to provide the system's busing services. The current agreement expires in June.

In 2009 school system officials opted to outsource transportation services to Mountain Valley Transportation, a division of Krapf Bus Cos. based in West Chester, Pa. At the time the move was controversial and split the board 4-3.

But when officials agreed to continue the outsourcing during a board meeting Tuesday, the scene was different.

"I have a chance to redeem myself with this vote," said board member Suzanne Moore, who voted against the outsourcing in 2009.

She remarked during a previous discussion that she was wrong about the decision.

Officials have recently spoken positively of the move to outsource. Other local districts are also investigating the outsourcing of various services as a cost-saving measure.

The move to privatization in Roanoke wasn't without issues. In 2009 when buses first started operating under the control of Mountain Valley Transportation, there were reports of late, no-show and overcrowded buses. But in recent years, officials have reported smooth operations.

Deputy Superintendent Curt Baker said recently that since privatizing the busing system, the average age of school buses transporting students decreased from 12 years to 6.3 years. He also said the newer fleet is more fuel efficient and the system has saved $165,000 by cutting out the commute to fuel buses because Mountain Valley Transportation installed a fuel tank at the transportation facility.

The new contract approved Tuesday will go into effect in July. There are also several changes to the contract terms, including no price increases in the first year of the renewal agreement. All buses will also now be required to have at least three security cameras and GPS tracking .

In other news, the board:

--  Approved a resolution supporting a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a statewide district to take over schools. The Opportunity Educational Institution, established by the General Assembly this year, has the authority to take over any school that has been denied accreditation, or those that have been accredited with warning for three consecutive years.

The Norfolk School Board voted last month to join the Virginia School Boards Association in a lawsuit aiming to invalidate the OEI.

Bedford County schools officials also recently considered the resolution. It's also on the agenda for a Roanoke County School Board meeting Thursday where officials are slated to get information on it.

-- Received a report on the number of ninth-grade course failures, which showed a concerning uptick in the number of failing grades in the past two school years from a four-year low in the 2010-2011.

For instance, in 2010-2011 7 percent of ninth-graders systemwide had a final failing grade, compared with 26 percent in 2011-2012 and 30 percent in 2012-2013.

"We were extraordinarily aggressive," Superintendent Rita Bishop said of the 2010-2011 school year.

She said there were many discussions between central office staff, counselors and parents. Intervention specialists also worked with parents.

Bishop said officials took their eye off the ball, and moving forward, school staff must "aggressively" contact parents of any student failing a course .

"One of the things that has to happen is rapid deployment of resources," she said, explaining students must get into credit recovery at the end of each marking period before it's too late.

She said the numbers are important because they are tied to dropout and graduation rates.

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