The city of Normal, Illinois, which spends $26.7 million per year to bus 11,000 students, is reviewing two bids that would outsource the bussing system to a private operator. The lower of two bids came in at $25.1 million.
Besides the extraordinary cost of bussing, the city has been challenged by the human-resources aspect of finding and managing bus drivers. In the last year alone, the district hired 54 new employees but lost 51 to terminations, retirements and resignations.
An additional $363,000 was spent on substitute drivers to fill absentees. Currently, the union contract has no formal attendance policy, which is contributing to the problem.
Each year, $9 million of the bus budget is spent on drivers and monitors. One of the key areas of savings for a private contractor would be benefits and salaries.