6. Transportation Department, 1975-2001

Series 6. Transportation Department documents the internal operations of the department responsible for providing technical assistance and enforcing safety and discipline standards for all of the school districts. The Transportation Department regularly posts invitations to bid in local newspapers, distributes transportation bid packages to eligible vendors, and then awards contracts to the lowest bidder for certain districts. This process is well documented in this series. The majority of material documents the working relationship between the Transportation Department and the coordinators at each of the school districts. School district records document issues with late buses, safety concerns, disciplinary standards, requests for bus route changes, impact of inclement weather, specially chartered trips, and parental involvement. A significant amount of material relates to the internal functions of the department. The majority of these records were generated by the Director of Transportation, Lance Carter, and his staff. Records include monthly reports, transportation reports, memoranda, policies, and financial activities. Also included in the collection are business transactions with bus companies, daily bus operations, and relevant legislation. The vendor records pertain to bus maintenance, late buses, incorrect bus routes, radio upgrades, safety, and contracts. Of special interest is METCO's bidding process contracting transportation services for those districts that chose not to contract services on their own.