PEKIN, Ill. (25 News) – After transportation troubles the first several weeks of school, the Pekin School District 108 Board of Education voted Monday night to extend a notice of default, giving Alltown Bus Service extra time to fix its problems.
The unanimous action extended the notice to Friday, Oct. 16.
The start of the school year included students’ buses picking them up late or not showing up at all.
Once the deadline passes, the district could look at other busing options or impose penalties Alltown for violating the contract.
At Monday’s meeting, parent Samantha Newell said Alltown is still underperforming. She asked the board to hold the company accountable and ensure this situation never happens again.
“Many parents who considered never even sending a child to school with electronics, which seems like such a small thing, are now left with no choice but to send cell phones, smart watches, and trackers to ensure a way to locate their child, myself included,” Newell said.
According to district leadership, extending the deadline gives the company more time to make sure improvements are not short-lived.
Superintendent Leonard Ealey recommended the board extend the notice. He thinks a lot has gotten better within the last week.
“Are these improvements going to be sustained, or not? I don’t think at this point it would be fair to give you a final assessment without giving them opportunity to sustain their improvements,” Ealey said.
A representative from Beacon Mobility, Alltown’s parent company, said the bus service has been taking action to improve performance, like holding regular meetings with the district, reviewing daily readiness, and bringing in more drivers.
“Our responsibility now is to do the right thing: Collaborate closely with the district and demonstrate through sustained performance that we will be a reliable long-term partner that Pekin expects us to be,” said Nick Dow, Beacon’s senior vice president of operations.
New bus routes are taking effect Tuesday. District leaders and Alltown hope this will make bus routes more efficient and timely.
The next regular board meeting is three days after the new deadline passes: Monday, Oct. 19. At that time, the board is expected to reassess the situation.
Comments