Board approves multi-year transportation contracts and creates two district positions

During the special meeting segment, the Waterbury Board of Education moved and approved several motions covering transportation contracts, personnel positions and the preschool educational specifications.

Transportation contracts: the board approved a five-year services agreement with Durham School Services LP for regular-education student transportation; it also approved All Star Transportation LLC for special-education services and Sky Transportation for medically fragile and McKinney-Vento student transport. Commissioners discussed past performance issues with providers and confirmed a new transportation oversight structure (a monthly Building & Facilities/Transportation committee) to monitor service delivery and vendor performance.

Personnel positions: the board approved the creation of a district-wide athletic director position and an assistant director of personnel and talent management to strengthen district oversight of athletics programming and human-capital functions. Staff said the athletic director will centralize purchasing, coaching support and unified-sports development; the assistant director role is intended as a nonunion assistant director focused on human-capital responsibilities.

Other votes: the board approved the educational specifications for the proposed Waterbury Preschool Center (see separate article) and moved a set of miscellaneous contract amendments and professional-service renewals during the session.

Voting notes: motions were recorded as "all in favor" with the clerk announcing "motion carries"; the transcript does not include a full roll-call tally for every motion but shows multiple commissioners speaking in support or raising operational concerns before votes were taken.

Next steps: the transportation vendors will be engaged under five-year contracts with oversight scheduled for August and regular reporting; personnel positions will be posted and filled per district hiring procedures.