Malden School Committee extends North Reading Transportation contract despite parent calls to delay

The Malden School Committee voted 6–3 on Dec. 8 to extend the district’s existing contract with North Reading Transportation (NRT) for one year, keeping the current vendor in place through June 30, 2023.

Parents and members of the Malden Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) urged the committee to delay the decision. Patrick Fitzgerald, SEPAC president, told the committee that “dissatisfaction with the North Reading Transportation (NRT) service is the most consistent issue” raised by families, citing problems with timeliness and vehicle monitoring and requesting that the committee table the contract so stakeholders could provide further input.

Several parents, including Amy Friedman, urged the committee not to renew the contract. Friedman said NRT “has not been collecting and maintaining records required by state law,” and linked the issue to the district’s pending litigation, Malden Public Schools v. Supervisor of Public Records et. al.

In response, Assistant Superintendent Pam MacDonald told the committee that, “although there have been complaints, NRT has been responsive to the complaints,” and that the district has been working with the company on driver and monitor training specific to transporting students with special needs.

Committee members debated operational continuity, budget planning and the practical challenge of switching vendors on short notice. Ms. Spadafora noted the timing pressure on the district budget and argued that, given driver shortages nationally and the need for a new vendor to learn 50 routes serving 346 students quickly, “it is in the best interest of the committee to extend the NRT contract for next year.”

Ms. Spadafora also laid out contract context for the vote: the current NRT contract is a three‑year agreement with two one‑year extensions available; one extension had already been approved and approving the remaining extension would take the contract through June 30, 2023. The current contract value cited by the committee is $2.5 million.

The roll-call vote on the extension was: Mr. Drummey YES; Mr. Froio YES; Mr. Gray NO; Mr. Iovino YES; Ms. Luong NO; Mr. McCarthy NO; Ms. Spadafora YES; Mr. Weldai YES; Mayor Christenson YES. The motion passed 6 in favor, 3 opposed.

Ms. Spadafora said that, if extended, the district will begin stakeholder outreach earlier next year and include SEPAC in future bid review panels. Several parents said that, at minimum, they want stronger communication and clearer record practices from the vendor.

The committee did not adopt any additional contract language at the meeting; the vote was limited to extending the existing contract for one year. The superintendent and central office staff said they will continue to work with families and the vendor on operational and reporting improvements.