Buffalo School Board OKs contract but voices concerns about 'getting strong-armed by the NFTA'

By Ben Tsujimoto | Buffalo News (TNS)

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo School Board was in a pickle.

Their choices at Wednesday’s special board meeting at City Hall were to approve an $81 million contract with the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority – representing a $30 million increase over a span of five years – or forgo transportation for high school students when school starts Sept. 3.

“We are getting strong-armed by the NFTA,” said Park District representative Erik Bohen. “It does seem like that. It's a very large number, but our kids can't get to school if we don't vote on this.”

After about 25 minutes of voicing their frustrations about the predicament and committing to “demanding more” of the longtime transportation partner, the board voted 8-0 to approve the contract.

Vice President Adrianna Zullich was a “yes with reservations,” while West District representative Talia Rodriguez was absent from the meeting.

Earlier in the meeting, Interim Superintendent Ebony E. Prophet-Bullock and Chief Financial Officer Jim Barnes urged the board to approve the contract, advising that signing the deal would not put an end to the district’s advocacy. Prophet-Bullock said it was vital for kids to be able to get to school.

“We have kids who can't eat. We have kids who are un-homed, and the only real heat, the only real comfort, the only real food they get is when they are in our schools,” the interim superintendent said, “and that is extremely important.”

Board members were first exposed to the contract a week ago, on the day of the scheduled August board meeting. The group then urged Prophet-Bullock to remove the contract from consideration so they could have more time to have their questions answered. Most centered on explanations for the cost increases and what benefit the new deal would have for the district.

The contract was unchanged from a week ago, district officials said.

“I feel like if we are going to approve this and vote on this, we should be receiving more specials,” said Stephon Wright, the Ferry District board member, referring to buses the NFTA designates specifically for the district.

“We spend a lot of money on Saturday Academy programming and night programming, and the parents and students don't have a way to even attend these programs to have our numbers where they need to be.”

The district and participating charter and private schools receive a maximum of 118 special routes per day; city residents might be familiar with the NFTA buses that pull up alongside McKinley High School.

New North District representative Roscoe Henderson III brought to light that the NFTA were not open to a one-year extension on the current contract.

Some of the cost increases still did not make sense to some board members.

“Clearly, that public schools are being charged $15 more for a bus pass than the average citizen with limited access – I just don't understand the scope, the nature, the explanation,” said board President Kathy Evans Brown. “None of it.”

Prophet-Bullock anticipates significant relief from Buffalo Schools community after she signs the contract Thursday. She mentioned parents and administrators feared the possibility of no public bus passes.

“I had high school principals today that were digging in their pockets, digging into their retirements, trying to figure out money, selling chicken dinners to get money to buy passes because they were that afraid that their children were not going to be able to get there on [Sept. 3],” she said. “So I can tell them they don't have to do that.”

Prophet-Bullock said the board’s concerns about the contract before voting on the deal should send a message to the NFTA.

“This is us holding the NFTA accountable,” Prophet-Bullock said. “This is saying publicly you can't strong-arm us. We know we have to do business with you, and we're going to work on what we need to work on. But we're not for the foolishness.”

She finished on a softer note.

“Sometimes we have to get in there and push and dust it up a little bit,” Prophet-Bullock said. “But tomorrow we are friends again. Tomorrow we are community.”

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