Bus Contract Was Driven

By April’s Budget Vote

To the Editor:

Like many people in town, I attended the Board of Education meeting Tuesday night and was pleased that the board members voted to retain the services of MTM transportation after the Newtown-based company agreed to match the lowest bid.  Every one of the Board of Education members, regardless of how they voted, should be commended by taxpayers and especially school parents for following through on their fiduciary responsibility.  As a result of their efforts, including the deadlock, hundreds of thousands of dollars were saved and can instead be used to offset some of the education cuts that will become a reality in September.

After learning the details of MTM’s and All-Star’s original bids last week, I was prepared to argue in defense of the lowest bidder, if there was one, only because that was the mandate sent by taxpayers last month to the Board of Education when voters approved over a million dollars in cuts to the education budget.  Before MTM lowered its price, The Bee reported that their price was about $100,000 more than All-Star’s price.  Emotionally, I was tossed.  Assuming the same qualified drivers would remain on their routes regardless of which company wins the bid; do I side with MTM simply because it is a Newtown-based business?  Or might the extra $100,000 we might save with All-Star mean two teachers would not lose their jobs?  I came to the meeting last night prepared to argue on the side of education.

While I was impressed last night to see the large turnout of drivers and school parents, most of whom were there to argue on behalf of MTM, I was disappointed when I realized that this whole bidding controversy, the deadlock and the strain on everyone involved could have been avoided if only half as many people in the auditorium had come to defend education funding in March, before the April budget referendum when 3,158 people voted for an education budget that would lay off teachers and eliminate school programs.

Kevin Fitzgerald

24 Old Farm Hill Road, Newtown                                  May 18, 2009