Outlines a sample contract that a district might want to use if its buses are required for emergency use by local government. The contract addresses such areas as who drives, whether regular school bus regulations are observed, who pays for the fuel, and what the costs are to the user. (IRT)

States that sealed bids may not be the best way to provide reliable and economical bus service and offers practical suggestions for gathering the data needed for negotiating a cost effective contract. (Author/WD)

Six guidelines for school boards in student transportation contracting include writing careful contract specifications, building flexibility into the contract, carefully examining very low bids, having the board's experts write the contract, requesting resumes of top company personnel, and renegotiating contracts from year to year. Characteristics…

Describes a way to compare the costs of operating or contracting buses by breaking down total expenses and comparing specific costs both for each type of service (such as regular transportation to school, special education, or athletic events) and for all types of expenditures ranging from maintenance to preparing payrolls. (Author/JM)

To cut costs, some administrators are contracting with the private sector for such services as pupil transportation, facilities maintenance, and cafeteria operations. Proponents of competitive contracting assert that it can provide public schools with the kind of expertise, flexibility, and cost efficiencies not always available with inhouse…