Responding to anger expressed by members of the Board of Selectmen, School Committee chair Geoff Swett explained why his committee chose not to vote on a proposed school transportation study.

"We were given the information by the town administrator that in fact it was too late for [the study] to take place" beginning in the upcoming spring semester, which typically starts in January for colleges, School Committee chair Geoff Swett clarified at the committee's Wednesday, December 7 meeting.

Last month, Town Administrator Mark Andrews proposed that a group of graduate students perform a study of how much it costs the school district to run its transportation department and how much it would cost to subcontract the operation to a private vendor.

Members of the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, December 6, had expressed anger with the School Committee's lack of a vote, as they understood that Swett, Superintendent Dr. Barry Rabinovitch, Andrews, and Selectmen chair Walter Cruz had come to a consensus about the study during a private meeting and the parties had agreed to bring the information back to their respective boards.

Because there was not a consensus of the boards involved, the town's Capital Planning Committee, which was charged with organizing the study and the graduate students, did not contact the students.

The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in favor of Andrews’ proposal on November 15, adding a caveat that no buses would be leased or otherwise purchased during the time of the study.

The School Committee, which met the following day, did not agree with that caveat, expressing the immediate need for replacement buses and saying that it had previously been proven by multiple committees that it’s cheaper for the town to run its own transportation department.

With that information, and because Superintendent Dr. Barry Rabinovitch had said he'd been told by Andrews that there may be funds available to purchase buses in the near future (with the approval of a Special Town Meeting), the School Committee decided not to take a vote on the transportation study proposal, said Swett.

"[It] didn't make sense to vote on it," Swett explained, later adding, "I feel strongly that we've acted appropriately."

Swett stressed: "We remain open and we're going to do our part to make sure this issue is finally put to rest."

The state of the school bus fleet became a hot topic in early 2010 when resident Ellen Begley, now a selectman, requested safety records after she read media reports that said the school buses were in a state of disrepair.

School officials have maintained that no children have been put at risk because of mechanical problems with the buses.

Late last year, the town and the School Department put out separate and different requests of rbusing proposals for an outsourced operation.

The School Department received four bids, all higher than current costs. The town's request garnered no bids.

Since then, the topic has been frequently discussed but never resolved.

A plan to lease seven school buses was on tap for Town Meeting in October, with all parties agreeing that those buses were meant to hold the Transportation Department over until a permanent solution for the bus fleet could be determined.

The School Department sought and received bids for the leases of seven school buses in preparation for Town Meeting in October. But before voters could weigh in, Town Administrator Mark Andrews requested that all leases be taken off of the Town Meeting agenda because the leases could not immediately be financed.