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How much it'll cost District 214 to bus kids to and from school

Northwest Suburban High School District 214 will spend some $26 million over the next three years to bus most of its students to and from school, field trips, co-curricular activities and other programs.

The school district went out to bid for the first time in a decade for transportation services, for which costs have continued to climb, including costs for bus drivers.

The district will also pay more upfront this year to have cameras installed on all buses, as only some have cameras now.

District officials are also requiring the two bus companies they're contracting with to use buses less than 10 years old.

"We requested it for safety," district spokeswoman Jennifer Delgado said. "We wanted to know our students were on buses new and up with the current regulations."

Some 8,900 students - nearly 3 out of every 4 - use buses daily to get to and from school in District 214. Transportation is available free to students who live at least 1.5 miles away from school. Students who live within those boundaries can also be picked up, but they have to pay for it.

Transportation costs represent 3.2 percent of the district's budget.

Current transportation providers First Student, which buses the general student population, and Grand Prairie Transit, which provides service to special education students, are getting new contracts with District 214. The three-year agreements, approved by the school board Thursday night, include options for fourth and fifth years.

While Grand Prairie was awarded a new contract for special education transportation, this time it's also getting a contract to operate general high school buses on a north route covering Buffalo Grove, John Hersey, Prospect and Wheeling high schools and the Newcomer Center, a district alternative school. First Student will run buses on a south route that covers Elk Grove and Rolling Meadows high schools.

There are two different routes because of the location of the bus depots, Delgado said.

One significant change is that Elk Grove and Rolling Meadows will no longer be serviced by the exact same buses. That has required Rolling Meadows to start school at 7:25 a.m. and Elk Grove at 8:10 a.m.

Starting in August, Rolling Meadows will start at 8:05 a.m. and Elk Grove at 8:15 a.m., under a separate districtwide plan to move start times later.

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