Lincoln committee awards five-year student transportation contract to First Student as bids exceed budget

The Lincoln School Committee voted to award a five-year student transportation services contract to First Student, covering 07/01/2026 through 06/30/2031, after a committee discussion that found all bids came in well above the district’s budget.

Chair (speaker 2) introduced the item and said the district pursued a joint bid with Smithfield to secure economies of scale but still received prices higher than expected. Doctor McNamara (speaker 3), who spoke for administration, said the five-year structure yields savings primarily in years four and five and that the district tried to be “as creative as possible” in working with partners and vendors to achieve efficiencies.

“The savings really appear in years four or five,” Doctor McNamara said, arguing that the long-term arrangement made the bid more advantageous over the contract life. Committee members noted that transportation costs have risen across the state and that Lincoln’s budget had flagged a relatively high number already.

Committee discussion identified two operational steps to address the budget gap: implementing recommendations from a Rhode Island Department of Education transportation-efficiency study (for example, reducing the number of pickups, routes and required stops) and using a ridership survey so the district can remove bus assignments for students who do not use the service. Committee members also discussed contract mechanics: the contract contains a fuel clause with a baseline date of 01/01/2026 and quarterly adjustments that can produce credits if fuel prices fall or surcharges if they rise during the five-year term.

Chair (speaker 2) moved to award the contract to First Student; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The committee directed administration to meet with stakeholders and reconcile projected transportation line items in June and to review feasible efficiency options at a staff meeting the next day.

The committee approved the contract without a roll-call tally recorded in the transcript. Next procedural steps are reconciliation of the transportation line in June and implementation planning for the efficiency recommendations.