The Northwestern Lehigh School District school board on Feb. 9 released their evaluation of the two transportation companies that made the cut as finalists in the board's consideration of alternate ways to bus students while reducing costs.

More than 40 people attended the meeting as NWLSD Superintendent Dr. Mary Anne Wright read the results of "interview sheets" collected from board members.Paragon Transit came out number one, getting more than half of the evaluation points they derived from "interview sheets" provided by the administration. Brandywine Transportation came in distant second in the evaluation.Wright presented her in-house bid using the assumptions that the Transportation Committee approved Jan. 27.She explained her proposal, noting that health care benefits that some NWLSD drivers currently have is a unique benefit that other bus drivers in other school districts in the Lehigh Valley don't have."Unfortunately our bus drivers' receiving health care benefits is quite out of line with other drivers in the Lehigh Valley," said Wright.Retirement and health care benefits are a major part of the overall cost of running the transportation department according to documents released by the administration.Wright complimented the current management of the transportation department saying it "has improved."Wright asked the board if it would be prepared to decide which proposal it wants to accept and the school directors nodded their assent.She said that leasing buses isn't practical because the district puts too many miles on its buses to make an attractive lease.As the board discussed the fact that some drivers have benefits and some don't, school board Vice President Sally Schoffstall suggested that the "district has not managed the transportation department effectively" over the 20 years that she has been on the school board."I question the assumption we can administer the transportation section effectively," said Schoffstall, as some of attending public, mostly bus drivers, started murmuring. "I'm not sure they can improve."At least two drivers walked out during Schoffstall's remarks. Later, school board President Greg Snyder explained Schoffstall's comments, saying it was "unfortunate" that some bus drivers walked out."She was not talking about the bus drivers but the abilities of the administration," said Snyder.Board member Willard Dellicker noted that over the next five years that benefit payments would double to $12.5 million or one third of the existing budget."We just can't afford to pay the benefits," he said. "It's unsustainable.""Do you need more information to make a decision?" asked Wright."Are we prepared to vote next week?" asked Snyder."I am concerned about back lash from the drivers and the community," said the board's newest member, Chris Ford whose comment seemed to capture the mood of the board.The issue he said was how to "best serve the tax payers and at the same time save jobs."My mother was a bus driver," said Ford. "My decision won't lessen my concern."Resident Ronald Morrison spoke at the end of the meeting addressing Schoffstall's earlier comment. "Shame on you for shirking your responsibility for things you didn't do well for the last 20 years."Philip Toll, also a resident and past candidate for appointment to the school board, said, "You have to take responsibility for management [to include transportation]. You have to take care of your people."Wright offered to come to the next meeting with a recommended motion.The board will likely vote on the transportation issue at its Feb. 16 meeting.In other business, Dellicker defended the current custodial contract. "The contract is working," he said."We must continue to look at every employee group and every program and every activity we have to see where we can cut costs," said Dellicker.In other business, Wright cautioned the public against bringing cases involving children before the school board because it becomes public information that may cause problems for the child."I cannot and will not reveal the results of internal investigations concerning children," said Wright. She said administrators have followed procedures, and that she had reviewed the case. She was referring to a guardian who made public charges that the administration was not properly handling a case involving a student.She also explained the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act and Open Records Law as they relate to her decision not to release the transportation report she first promised to release, then withheld, she said, on the advice of the solicitor."We have released about 75 percent of what is in the TAS report," said Wright