District maps new bus system for 2026-2027
A three-tier schedule, in-house routing, and GPS tracking are central to the district’s plan for 1,527 students who use transportation next school year.
Two hosts walk through the week’s edition in conversation — transportation update, parents and district debate paraprofessional transition, and what’s coming next. Generated by Aware, from this week’s verified summaries.
Routes go public on August 15, but district leaders said the map is still changing as enrollment, stop locations, and kindergarten assignments continue to shift.
The bus plan starts with the clock. District leaders said new school start and end times in September are the key to a three-tier transportation system for 2026-2027. The change lets the district run about 13–15 buses more efficiently, after years of transportation problems and a reliance on outside routing. Leaders said the district has now brought routing in-house, reduced the number of vendors for general routes to two, and built next year’s system around Transfinder, a platform that designs and manages routes and supports GPS tracking.
The district said the goal is simpler service and better information for families. Staff said Transfinder can measure travel times, route distances, and bus capacity, and can help adjust stop locations when needed, including combining stops on the same street. They said dry runs are complete, bus partners will next test routes on their own, and Wayfinder tablets are expected in the third week of August for drivers and substitute drivers. Those tablets are meant to support real-time tracking. Leaders said elementary pickup times are being pushed later, with a target of 7:15 a.m., up from 7:07 a.m. last year, and many general education routes are being built around a 35-minute ride rather than 45–50 minutes.
Board members pressed on the weak spots. They asked whether route estimates include loading time, whether summer testing reflects school-year traffic, and what GPS can realistically cover for out-of-district placements handled by 7–15 vendors. Staff said they adjusted loading assumptions based on feedback, have been riding practice routes since May, and will keep revising the system with partners. The transportation advisory council is set to review revised routes on August 6, and families are expected to see routes in PowerSchool on August 15.
Parents and district debate paraprofessional transition to Delta
Families pressed the district over the shift in paraprofessional staffing from ESS to Delta, focusing less on the contract change itself than on what it could mean for students in September. Special education parents and advocates asked for accountability, public metrics, retention targets, and a clearer plan to reduce harm during the transition.
District leadership said it had been meeting with families and gathering feedback through focus groups. The Superintendent said Delta had 166 paraprofessionals ready for September and estimated the fill rate at 85–93%.
That left a gap between the district’s staffing projection and what some families said they still need: clearer benchmarks, regular public updates, and a way to measure whether support is stable once school starts. The issue is likely to stay in view as the district moves from summer hiring into September staffing.
Custodial workers describe missed pay and shifts
Custodial workers used public comment to accuse Pritchard Industries of delayed pay, onboarding failures, reduced hours, and contract violations. Several said they worked weeks without pay and asked the Board and district to step in, but no Board action was taken during the meeting.
Custodial workers alleged delayed pay, reduced hours, and contract violations after Pritchard took over.
CHS prepares one lunch for all students
The Superintendent outlined how Columbia High School will run a single common lunch period for about 2,000 students under the new schedule. The district plans to spread students across several eating areas, add tables and grab-and-go service, and keep administrators on duty during lunch.
District detailed Columbia High's single common lunch plan affecting about 2,000 students' daily schedule.
Committees pull some policies for review
The Policy & Governance and Curriculum & Instruction committees reviewed policy readings on equity, graduation, finance, and classroom practice. Some items were held back for more work, including policy 5561 and curriculum policy 2200.
Policy changes set district rules for students and staff, including graduation requirements and how schools handle sensitive issues.
Special services report highlights restraint policy concerns
The Special Services Committee reviewed CPAC discussions, program growth, transportation, family engagement, and the Delta paraprofessional transition. Separately, a public speaker urged stronger parent notification and clearer safeguards in policy 5561 on restraint and seclusion.
These decisions affect students with disabilities and their families, especially classroom supports, safety rules, and parent communication.
- South Orange Maplewood Board of Education. Custodial staff and workers described problems after a new subcontractor, Pritchard Industries, began work, including delayed pay, ID and onboarding issues, alleged violations of weekly pay provisions, seniority and shift assignment concerns, and reduced hours. Speakers asked the Board and district to intervene to ensure workers are paid and contract terms are followed.
- South Orange Maplewood Board of Education. Multiple speakers representing special education families and advocates criticized the process and transparency around ending the ESS contract and transitioning to Delta. Speakers requested accountability, immediate harm mitigation steps for self-contained classrooms, retention targets, parent communication supports, and data reporting metrics to evaluate the transition’s impact on students with IEPs.
What we didn’t fit in this Sundays edition
South Orange had 21 more items this week. Here are sixfour — the rest are on Aware.
- GOVERNANCEBoard approves calendar changes and reviews 2026–2027 scheduling. The Board approved consent agenda items including a revised 2026–2027 academic calendar, with graduation set for June 16, 2027 because of venue availability. The Superintendent also outlined schedule changes for Columbia High School and the middle schools, including the rotating block schedule and the shift from trimesters to semesters.
- GOVERNANCEDistrict outlines facilities planning, budget work, and possible bond. Board and administration updates focused on facilities needs, capital planning, and budget management, including roof work, paving, security vestibules, field planning, and a forthcoming facilities improvement plan. Officials also discussed the fiscal year closeout, audit timing, a new business administrator, and the possibility of a 2026–2027 bond to fund larger projects.
- GOVERNANCEFirst public comment period: requests to restore school librarians (elementary, middle, and high school). Two public speakers urged the district to fund dedicated, certified school librarians, emphasizing the role of librarians in literacy, research skills, and safe information access. They argued that sharing librarians across schools or relying on clerks would be inadequate, especially at the high school level.
- GOVERNANCEBoard hears objections to Israel trips; superintendent says trips were personal. Several speakers objected to administrators taking Jewish Federation-sponsored trips to Israel and asked the Board to retract approval, apologize, and bar similar trips in the future. The Superintendent responded that no trips were district-sponsored, funded, or endorsed, and said any staff travel was personal and taken on personal days.
- GOVERNANCENew business (none) and announcement of upcoming meetings. The Board reported no new business and announced upcoming meetings, including a public session on August 18, 2026 at 6:30 p.m., the monthly board meeting on August 25, 2026 at 6:30 p.m., and discussion of potentially scheduling another board retreat date with notice to be provided.
- GOVERNANCEStudent recognition: Columbia High School boys and girls fencing teams ring ceremony. The Athletic Director recognized the Columbia High School boys and girls fencing teams for their 2025–2026 championships and led a ring ceremony. Coaches and district leaders participated, and the Board joined for a group photo and ring reveal.
- GOVERNANCESecond public comment period (closing) and online sign-in check. The Board opened a second public comment period and checked for any speakers signed up in person or online. No additional speakers were recorded, and the Board closed the comment period.
- GOVERNANCEAdjournment. The Board approved a motion to adjourn and ended the meeting at 10:11 p.m.
- GOVERNANCEPersonnel Committee report and discussion of committee structure. The Personnel Committee reported on a July 27 meeting focused on staffing vacancies, exit survey data, evaluation system changes, and leadership training. The chair raised a structural issue: many personnel-related questions fall across committees or require executive session, and the committee discussed potentially shifting non-confidential personnel topics to other committees and creating a tracker.
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