February 9, 2026 - The Buses Wouldn't Start
The board's February 9 meeting was, more than anything, about buses. That morning, in brutal cold, the district's bus contractor couldn't get much of its fleet started, leaving kids waiting outside and parents staring at vague "your bus is late" alerts. The transportation director walked through what went wrong and what the district is now demanding from the contractor, while board members pushed hard on why parents weren't told more. The night also laid out the bigger picture for taxpayers. Next year's budget is taking shape around a roughly 2.75% tax increase and double-digit jumps in insurance, the state's electric-bus mandate is forcing some expensive decisions. The district detailed the safety operation it has built to handle threats. Quieter business included a property tax refund, a wave of retirements, and final adoption of new policies on artificial intelligence and whistleblowing.
What happened at the meeting
A bad bus morning put the contractor on notice. Extreme cold kept many of First Student's buses from starting, so children waited in freezing temperatures and some buses ran more than an hour late. The district's own 13 buses had no trouble. Transportation director Thomas Waldron said he had already coached the contractor on winter fuel blends and additives, and that the district would sit down with First Student that Thursday. Board members zeroed in on the real problem for families. The contractor's tracking app sometimes doesn't work, and the early alerts only said a bus was "late" without saying how late. Parents couldn't judge whether to send kids out to the stop. Superintendent Nerlande Anselme explained why no two-hour delay was called (the contractor kept reporting everything was fine until 6 a.m.) and stressed that students are not marked late when a bus is.
Busing for former walkers is now permanent. The program that began after January's complaints has grown to 90 students who used to walk and are now bused. The sign-up form stays open through April 30, and starting next year it will open in October, before the cold sets in.
The electric-bus mandate is coming, and Rome plans to go slow. State rules will require zero-emission buses for purchases made after mid-2027, though districts can apply for waivers and keep their current diesel and gas buses on the road through 2035. A bus dealer and a district study spelled out the catch. In cold weather and on hills, an electric bus's range drops sharply — roughly 130 miles in ideal conditions, far less here — and most of Rome's fleet belongs to First Student anyway. The superintendent was blunt that Rome will not be the test case: it will use the waivers, keep buying diesel for now, and watch how it goes elsewhere.
Next year's budget is taking shape, and so are the cost pressures. Business chief Dr. Georgia Gonzalez said early state-aid figures point to about $4.8 million more in revenue and a working tax-levy increase of around 2.75%. The squeeze is on the spending side. Health insurance is up about 10% and liability insurance 8–9%. Departments have asked for an added security guard, two diesel buses, a career and technical education director, safety equipment, a maintenance truck, and a leased building for pre-K. The board expects to adopt a budget on April 6 and will hold community forums before the May vote.
The district detailed the safety operation it has built. A newly hired director of school safety described a behavioral threat-assessment team that works alongside an Oneida County team to evaluate threats with what officials repeatedly called a "prevention, not punishment" approach. The district also walked through its new crisis-response training, built after the deaths of a student and a teacher this year, and its push to put mental-health supports in every building. Safety upgrades like cameras, badge systems, and window coverings are being funded largely through state programs that reimburse the cost. One board member also made a point of asking staff to stop leaning on acronyms and jargon the public can't follow.
A property-tax refund and a small grant. The board approved a $2,413.22 property-tax refund to a local couple who had overpaid, and accepted a $390 donation from Hannaford for Rome Free Academy.
A wave of retirements — including two school psychologists. Among several retirements approved, two of RFA's school psychologists are leaving this summer, along with office staff, a longtime teacher, a cook manager, and a custodian. In separate, unrelated actions, the board placed an employee on three days of paid administrative leave and approved a separation agreement with another employee; no reasons were stated publicly.
New policies are now official, plus the usual housekeeping. The board gave final adoption to the policies it introduced last month, including one governing the use of artificial intelligence and a whistleblower policy for reporting wrongful conduct. It also approved a few spring field trips and, in the name of transparency, formally signed off on a conference the superintendent had already attended.