Northern Lehigh School District has renegotiated its contract with its student bus service provider.

At a special meeting on Monday, the school board approved the addendum to the Brandywine Transportation Contract for the 2019-2020 school year due to the mandatory closure of schools due to COVID-19 pandemic, and in accordance with Act 13 of 2020. Schools closed on March 13, which means the district did not use buses for nearly three months.

Superintendent Matthew J. Link said, “The addendum puts into writing that the district will pay Brandywine Transportation 60% of the remainder owed for the 19-20 school year (from March 13 to June 5).

“It also requires Brandywine to pay their employees for 55 days beyond the last day school was in session before the closures.”

Link noted that 55 days is the number of days left in the school year if there would have been no mandated closures.

“Brandywine is also bound by the requirements of the Paycheck Protection Plan offered by the Small Business Association,” he said. “The arrangement decreased the total cost due to Brandywine by $221,000 this school year, and also allows the district to collect the full subsidy for transportation from PDE in the 20-21 school year.”

At the board’s June 8 meeting, it was stated that the district would stand to lose subsidy reimbursement of $300,000 if it did not renegotiate the Brandywine Transportation contract.

The district would have paid $500,663, but that if renegotiated, the district would only pay $279,000 to satisfy that agreement, and it would receive that $300,000 in subsidy next year.