Lawrence schools switch to Durham in 3-year bus contract

Lawrence Public Schools is turning its daily bus service over to Durham School Services under a three-year contract that board members approved Monday night, a change that will affect more than 1,800 students riding 95 buses on 82 routes. For parents, the most immediate differences will be a new contractor, real-time tracking and air-conditioned buses, as the district tries to make buses more reliable and easier to follow from home.

The Lawrence Board of Education approved the deal 5-0, with Shannon Kimball and Carole Cadue-Blackwood absent. The first-year cost is estimated at $6.8 million for 2026-27, with 4% annual increases built into the agreement and two optional one-year renewals after that. District leaders had already rejected two vendor proposals because of cost concerns and said they were trying to build a transportation system that was more sustainable over time.

The new contract also changes where the fleet will be based. Instead of leasing an outside bus facility, Lawrence will use its Facilities and Operations building at 711 E. 23rd St. as the bus barn. Cynde Frick, the district’s executive director of finance, said the district had to “take a huge step backwards” and re-evaluate where efficiencies could be found for 2026-27, and she said using district-owned space should save “a couple hundred thousand dollars.” The district also will begin buying fuel itself, another move aimed at tighter cost control and clearer accounting.

Durham said it will add real-time GPS tracking through the My Ride K-12 app, along with push notifications that let families see where a bus is relative to a stop. That is a practical shift for families used to the district’s current FirstView app. Durham also said it uses Zonar and Samsara systems to monitor driver performance and student behavior. After board members raised privacy concerns, the company said there is no facial recognition in the software and no plan to add it, and it said it will work with the district’s IT department so only a parent can monitor the bus a child rides.

The district said all buses in the new system will have air conditioning. The operation is expected to include 90 bus drivers, 40 bus monitors and 11 full-time employees, making transportation one of Lawrence Public Schools’ most visible daily services. Kansas provides transportation funding for students who live more than 2.5 miles from school by the usually traveled route, and the district says that state-reimbursed service is the only busing First Student currently provides.

Superintendent Jeanice Swift framed the vote as the beginning of a longer reset, saying there is “one to three years of solid work” ahead. For Lawrence, the contract is a test of whether a new vendor, new technology and a district-owned bus base can finally deliver a steadier ride to school.