Local school bus drivers and contractors care more about Carroll County students than could a large company from elsewhere, said a steady stream of parents and people affiliated with the local bus companies.
About 50 people -- drivers, contractors and their supporters -- attended the Board of Education's meeting yesterday to urge the board not to use a competitive bidding system for school transportation.
But the recommendation to put bus routes out to bid, made by an independent firm that audited how efficiently the Carroll school system runs transportation and other functions, is just a suggestion, school officials said.
"We have more questions than they have recommendations," said William Hyde, assistant superintendent for administration.
"I think we have a responsibility to study those recommendations very carefully," he said, but he added that school officials will not base their decision only on dollars.
"The first look-see is not how many pennies we can save. The first look-see is 'What's in the best interest of the health and safety of the kids on the bus?' ," Mr. Hyde said.
The school board sets a reimbursement rate for bus contractors. All other counties in the state do the same for the majority of their routes. Some routes in Carroll, such as for special education vans, are put out for competitive bidding.
A concern expressed by contractors and some parents yesterday was that a large company might come to Carroll, bid low and offer poor service. Mr. Hyde said staff members will do a feasibility study on the bus bidding before making any decisions.
The performance audit, long a political hot potato, was conducted at the urging of county commissioners. The commissioners had accused the school board of resisting the audit, but school board members said they would accept one as long as they could agree on the terms.
The audit, by KPMG Peat Marwick of Baltimore, covered transportation, food service and personnel departments. A report was released yesterday to the school board.
Other recommendations included:
* Using more processed food and installing more equipment in cafeterias to cut down on labor costs. School staff members say they already use some processed foods, such as chicken nuggets and pizza, and will evaluate installing new equipment.
* Adding a person to the central food services staff to do marketing and public information work. Finance Director Walter Brilhart said he and the food services supervisor would prefer the additional position to be a person who works with the cafeteria managers.
* Reducing from the current 50 percent retirement payouts of unused sick leave and vacation time. The procedure is negotiated into employee contracts and could be changed only through collective bargaining.