WESTBOROUGH – Pending contract negotiations, NRT will be transporting Westborough Public Schools students for at least the next three years.
On Wednesday, Dec. 4, the School Committee awarded the bid — the only one received — to NRT, which has been the vendor for the past five years.
NRT has also been subject of much concern with WPS, especially when it comes to providing transportation for sports teams and late buses.
According to Finance and Operations Director Anita Patel, the contract will include safeguards in which NRT will be fined for any shortfall in service.
The first year of the new contract would increase the transportation costs from $3.381 million to $3.93 million.
Both Patel and Superintendent Allison Borchers said the increase was less than what they had been anticipating.
“It’s below what we’ve been hearing,” said Borchers.
RELATED CONTENT: Westborough schools remain unhappy with NRT
Many school systems in eastern Massachusetts have been hit with large increases in bus transportation. Hudson Public Schools recently awarded a contract with a 51% increase in rates over fiscal 2024.
In an effort to mitigate the impact, WPS sent out a request for bids earlier in the school year. Although there were a dozen vendors making inquiries, only NRT returned with a bid.
When asked whether to send out another request for bids, School Committee Chair Stephen Doret said, “Don’t expect anything new from a second bid except a higher price.”
The bid was awarded to NRT despite a history of problems with the vendor. In the spring of 2023, drivers in Marlborough and Framingham (but not Westborough) went on strike for almost a week.
In the fall of 2023, WPS complained about the lack of communication and for not providing enough buses. It had considered excluding NRT from negotiations once the contract was up for renewal.
A look at the FY26 budget
Bus transportation is among the major price increases behind the superintendent’s proposed budget for fiscal 2026.
The budget — $70,864,789 — represents a 5.77% increase over fiscal 2025, and is what Borchers calls a “level services” budget that would accommodate the needs of students, as well as increased costs in transportation, utilities and special education out-of-district (OOD) tuition.
About 80% of the budget — $59.2 million — covers salaries for staff, including faculty, aides, paraprofessionals and tutors.
OOD private tuition is expected to rise from $1.5 million in fiscal 2025 to $2.270 million for fiscal 2026. Tuition through the Assabet Valley Collaborative is expected to rise from $123,930 in fiscal 2025 to $384,078 for fiscal 2026.
