Spring Break
Letter: Rep. consolidates bussing contract
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: Editorial/Opinion
11/06/09 - To the Cigar,
On Feb. 16, 2005, at the request of then East Providence School Superintendent Dr. Jacqueline Forbes, I, along with Rep. Henry Rose, introduced legislation that provided for the statewide transportation of students with special needs. This measure alone would save school departments across the state hundreds of thousands of dollars. This legislative proposal was heard in the Health, Education and Welfare Committee, but failed to generate enough support to be voted out of committee. The measure was reintroduced again in 2006 and 2007, but met the same fate.
On Jan. 3, 2008, I, along with Rep. Rose and Rep. Helio Melo, proposed legislation which would require the state to finance the transportation costs for those students who traveled out of our city to attend private, public or vocational schools. The measure was heard in House Finance but again failed to gain sufficient support.
This year, on Feb. 25, I, along with Representatives Melo and DaSilva, introduced legislation that called for the consolidation of all school bussing contracts into one statewide bussing contract. The legislation had three objectives:
1) The elimination of the duplication of routes transporting children within and out of the city;
2) The improvement of service to children through the development of routes with shorter ride times; and
3) The reduction of costs to local school districts through efficiency and eliminating the need for each school district to contract for these services separately.
The good news is this was the year. House Bill 5646 became Article 12 in the Supplemental Budget and was signed into law in April. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in bussing costs will now be saved by our cities and towns. Equally important - a first step has been taken toward the consolidation of school support services on a statewide basis.
Respectfully Submitted,
Rep. John A. Savage
On Feb. 16, 2005, at the request of then East Providence School Superintendent Dr. Jacqueline Forbes, I, along with Rep. Henry Rose, introduced legislation that provided for the statewide transportation of students with special needs. This measure alone would save school departments across the state hundreds of thousands of dollars. This legislative proposal was heard in the Health, Education and Welfare Committee, but failed to generate enough support to be voted out of committee. The measure was reintroduced again in 2006 and 2007, but met the same fate.
On Jan. 3, 2008, I, along with Rep. Rose and Rep. Helio Melo, proposed legislation which would require the state to finance the transportation costs for those students who traveled out of our city to attend private, public or vocational schools. The measure was heard in House Finance but again failed to gain sufficient support.
This year, on Feb. 25, I, along with Representatives Melo and DaSilva, introduced legislation that called for the consolidation of all school bussing contracts into one statewide bussing contract. The legislation had three objectives:
1) The elimination of the duplication of routes transporting children within and out of the city;
2) The improvement of service to children through the development of routes with shorter ride times; and
3) The reduction of costs to local school districts through efficiency and eliminating the need for each school district to contract for these services separately.
The good news is this was the year. House Bill 5646 became Article 12 in the Supplemental Budget and was signed into law in April. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in bussing costs will now be saved by our cities and towns. Equally important - a first step has been taken toward the consolidation of school support services on a statewide basis.
Respectfully Submitted,
Rep. John A. Savage
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