Apr 1, 2013 2 min read

Trinity Area School Board awarded an $8.8 million bus contract to First Student Inc. on Monday.

Two directors who had agreed in Washington County Court not to weigh in on transportation issues because they are employed by a different bus company cast their votes in favor of First Student at the afternoon meeting, giving the Cincinnati-based company the contract by a 5-3-1 margin.

First Student beat out three other bus companies for the five-year contract, including GG&C and Schweinebraten.

GG&C sued Trinity in December over several issues including conflict of interest because directors Henry Clemens, Sandra Clutter and Jenene Hupp, former GG&C employees, are now employed by another transportation company. As part of an agreement reached between Trinity and GG&C in court in January, Clemens, Clutter and Hupp agreed not to participate in discussions and votes related to transportation issues.

Voting in favor of First Union were Scott Day, Colleen Interval, Shawn Mulac, along with Hupp and Clutter. Opposed were Penny Caleffe, Jennifer Morgan and Tamera Salvatori. Clemens abstained.

The school district’s attorney, Chris Furman, said the agreement the parties made during a hearing before President Judge Debbie O’Dell Seneca regarding abstaining from participation in transportation issues was still in place and that he expects to be in court on Tuesday regarding the vote.

For more, see Tuesday’s Observer-Reporter.