Vote to replace Roenigk bus company at Highlands comes up short

The Highlands School Board came up one vote short Tuesday in a move to replace the district’s longstanding bus company, W.L. Roenigk, with a competitor, ABC Transit.

The board held a special meeting at the high school Tuesday after a vote to award the five-year contract to ABC Transit was delayed at the regular monthly voting meeting last week.

The board needed five votes — a majority of its full nine-person membership — to award the contract to ABC Transit.

But only four of the eight members present voted in favor — board President Debbie Beale, Heath Cohen, Michael Masarik and Judy Wisner.

Voting against were Misty Chybrzynski, Michelle Peters and Bobbie Neese.

Board member Jeff Mundy, who had previously worked for ABC Transit, abstained from the vote although district Solicitor Ira Weiss said he could legally vote. Mundy was working for the company when he attended an earlier meeting on the matter but does not currently work for the company.

Board member Robert Betts was absent. He did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Highlands’ current contract with Roenigk runs out at the end of June. When asked what would happen next, Beale said she did not know; the board will meet again in May.

ABC Transit Vice President Todd O’Shell said he believes his company had submitted a “a very fair and equitable proposal” to Highlands.

“We submitted what we thought was a very fiscally responsible proposal,” he said. “Our reputation speaks for itself with the districts we currently service.”

Highlands has used Roenigk as its school bus company for its entire existence and faced intense public opposition from residents and Roenigk employees — some of whom are Highlands residents — to switching companies, no matter the cost.

Roenigk President Sue Roenigk said she hopes the district will give her company another chance. She said they have been trying to speak with district administrators about the contract since October, but had been ignored.

“The Roenigk family and our employees have contributed both financially as well as through community service for as long as anyone can remember,” she said. “We live here. We pay taxes here. We are a contributing part of this community.

“For my drivers, the reality is, this is their livelihood being put at risk. For parents and concerned citizens, it is the safety of their children,” she said. “My own grandchildren attend this district and so, yes, for me it is very personal. My people work every day to ensure the safety of the students we transport and have done it for years at a fair and reasonable cost.”

Superintendent Monique Mawhinney and Business Manager Lori Byron said the decision was based on their duty to be fiscally responsible and could not be based on emotion.

In a presentation, Byron said awarding the five-year contract to ABC Transit would have a total positive economic impact on the district of about $1.4 million. That equals about 2 mills in property taxes, she said.

It consists of saving about $405,500 from ABC’s costs compared to Roenigk, $787,000 in fuel savings and $215,000 in increased state subsidy because of ABC’s newer buses.

Mawhinney said she spoke with officials at five districts that use ABC Transit — Fox Chapel, Shaler, North Hills, Seneca Valley and Hampton — and got positive references on the company’s drivers, safety and training.

“I think the facts are clear here,” Mawhinney said. “I have nothing against Roenigk. I was charged to do a job. I get that it’s emotional, and I understand that. I can’t make decisions on emotions.”

The district is not required by state law to get bids or proposals for transportation services. But state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has recommended that school districts do that to ensure they are not wasting money on transportation that could otherwise be spent in the classroom.

Fiscal responsibility has to be part of the decision, Beale said.

Residents argued with both emotion and finances in making cases for keeping Roenigk, including how the company’s drivers care for their children and the impact Roenigk drivers losing their jobs would have on the community.

“It’s not about money; it’s about safety,” said Laura Butler of Harrison, a candidate for the school board in Region 3. “How much is a child worth?”

Roger Kaufman of Harrison was concerned before the meeting that it seemed the board had already made up its mind, no matter what residents said.

“We would rather they go with Roenigk,” said Kaufman, whose two grandchildren attend Highlands schools. “We know them. They are a good bus company; they’re reliable.”

“You get what you pay for — nothing more, nothing less,” said Frank Witucki of Harrison, who has been driving a special-needs van with Roenigk for three years in his retirement. He, his wife and their three children all attended Highlands.

“They’ve done an excellent job serving this school district,” he said.

Tim Rapp of Tarentum said he knows Roenigk drivers and said they’re “good people.” But he could not overlook the money that the district would save going with ABC Transit, saying that, as a landlord, he can’t keep raising his tenants’ rent to pay higher school property taxes.

“We need to educate our kids,” he said. “We should be putting money into education, not transportation.”