With no responsive bids from a transportation company to get a segment of the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 student body to and from class this year, district officials had to scramble to find a solution before classes begin Aug. 12.
Most students are transported to and from school by the Illinois Central School Bus company, but diverse learners and youngsters without fixed or stable housing require a specialized, more personal service with smaller vehicles.
The District 60 Board of Education voted 5-0 with an abstention and an absence to approve a more than $2.6 million contract with Lakeside Transportation for the impacted students on July 16 at the Lincoln Center administration building in Waukegan.
“Regardless of what vendor we go with, we need to provide these services for the first day of school,” board President Brandon Ewing said.
Along with approving the Lakeside Transportation contract, the board unanimously endorsed the purchase of 1,500 Dell Chromebooks for $685,000 to assure each student will have an electronic device to use throughout their tenure in the district.
As the board began discussing the unique nature of transporting these groups of students, board member Jeff McBride wanted to know why there was only one contract and no bidding took place.
Kathryn Vander Broek, the district’s general counsel, said there were bids but their responses were not responsive. With the next board meeting scheduled for Aug. 13 — the day after school starts — immediate action was needed.
“None of the bidders provided a responsive response, that has created the emergency need,” Vander Broek said. “There is the intent to put this contract out for bid again. We have to get transportation in place to cover both this summer as well as this upcoming year.”
Vander Broek said in an interview after the vote, “No one had a responsive response to our requirements.” More attention will be paid to specifics when bids are requested for the 2025-2026 school year.
Most students board the bus at a designated stop near their home, are taken to school and returned to the bus stop after they are dismissed for the day. Superintendent Theresa Plascencia said McKinney-Vento students are not on a specific route. Some may not live in the district.
“We supply clothing, transportation,” Plascencia said. “They can live within our district. They can live outside of our district. It is their choice. If they want to attend Waukegan public schools, we have to provide transportation.”
Board member Rick Riddle said because of the expense of the contract, he wanted assurance if a student’s location changed, there would not be a financial impact on the district.
Plascencia said appropriate school personnel are regularly in touch with McKinney-Vento families to make sure their needs are met. There is regular outreach from the district to the students and their families.
“Home visits do go out,” she said. “They’re in constant contact. We’re in touch to make sure they get the resources they need. Every case is different. We have to approach every case with its own individuality.”
With approximately 14,000 students in the district and 900 graduating each year, Jose Cuevas said the purchase of the 1,500 Dell Chromebooks was necessary to assure each kindergartner and newcomer to the district has an electronic device to use through their time in the Waukegan public schools.
Though each student continues to use the device as long as they are in the district, that can be a 13-year journey. Cuevas said the average life of a Chromebook is approximately 6.5 years, so a replacement is needed along the way. The need for new ones is growing stronger, as those purchased at the time of the coronavirus pandemic start to age.
