Ten school districts in Western Pennsylvania have spent about $29 million more on transportation than they were reimbursed by the state.
Those districts — including Allegheny Valley, Deer Lakes, Highlands, Riverview, Woodland Hills and West Jefferson in Allegheny County — are among 19 across Pennsylvania that collectively spent $55 million more on student transportation than what they received under the state's reimbursement formula, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said Thursday.
Only one of the 19 districts puts its transportation contract out to bid, something DePasquale said he hopes will change.
“I want to put more education dollars into classrooms, not into school buses,” he said during a news conference in which he encouraged lawmakers to make a bidding process mandatory.
The state reimburses school districts for transportation costs based on factors like the number of students and miles traveled. School districts are not required to request multiple proposals before awarding a contract.
Riverview School District was the only district that put out a request for bids during audits in 2008-09 and 2011-12, DePasquale said.
Tammy Good, Riverview's business manager, said the transportation contract was last put out to bid in 2013 for the 2014-15 school year. The district contracted with ABC Transit, a local company which offered its services at a “significant savings.”
“That's the only way you can guarantee that you're getting a fair price for your taxpayers,” Good said.
DePasquale criticized the Highlands and Monessen school districts, saying they were among six on his list that indicated they have no plans to put their contracts out to bid, despite what the audits revealed about how much they were overspending.
Jon Rupert, Highlands business manager, said what his district pays is competitive. Audits show the district spent $3 million more than its state funding.
Districts in rural areas, where buses have to travel more miles, always get more money from the state, Rupert said.
“I think we're accountable, and we knew this back in 2009 when they mentioned it to us,” he said. “Right now, it's not required and it's the board's prerogative (whether to ask for bids).”
DePasquale acknowledged that some districts — particularly in rural areas — may not receive multiple bids for contracts when they request proposals or have higher transportation costs for other reasons.
“But at least when you're going through the process, you're trying to get the best deal that you can,” DePasquale said.
Elizabeth Behrman is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. She can be reached at 412-320-7886 or Lbehrman@tribweb.com.
