Riding the school bus is about to become the next big thing for Spokane Public Schools' students. In a commitment to modernized transport, SPS has awarded Zm a five-year, $71 million contract to become the district's new yellow bus transportation provider for the 800 special education students and 6,000 regular education students who take the bus. The Redwood, California, company offers heightened security measures and a lowered environmental impact. Parents and guardians can access a Zm app that provides a bus driver's complete profile, real-time vehicle location, and pick up and dropoff times. Administrators and operators can also adjust routes based on traffic or attendance at the district, which has 30,000 students. According to a statement from SPS, Zm is the first 100 percent carbon neutral student transportation company in the nation, with all of its fleet's carbon emissions completely offset. The company also works with Seattle Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified School District and San Francisco United School Districts for student transportation. (COLTON RASANEN)
TOP OFFICE OVERSHARES
Documents released through a public records request last week shed more light on a messy series of events at City Hall that resulted in a sexual harassment investigation and the resignation of Spokane's top unelected official last month. Johnnie Perkins, the former city administrator, is accused in the city's human resources investigation of creating a hostile work environment, using inappropriate language, showing a lack of respect for others and violating the city's sexual harassment policy. The report centers on a relationship Perkins had with another city employee, who is referred to as "Witness 3" in the report. Witness 3 ended the relationship in May. During that time, Perkins regularly shared intimate details about their relationship and sex life to another coworker, "very loud with the door open" and "to an extremely inappropriate level," according to the report. The documents also show that Mayor Nadine Woodward had previously warned Perkins not to pursue romantic relationships in City Hall in 2021. In his response, Perkins denied any wrongdoing and called the HR investigation biased and flawed. (NATE SANFORD)
PRESSING PAUSE
Spokane County Jail staff and Spokane City Council members are arguing it would be better to craft a more detailed jail plan before asking voters to pass a public safety sales tax this fall. In a letter to Spokane's Board of County Commissioners this week, Council President Lori Kinnear and Council member Zack Zappone joined a union representative from Local 492 — which includes corrections officers at the county jail and Geiger Corrections Center — in asking for a pause on the ballot measure slated to go to voters in November's general election. The measure seeks a 0.2 percent sales tax increase over 30 years and would bring in an estimated $1.7 billion, with cities around the county slated to get 40 percent of the windfall, and the rest going to the county for "public safety." While the union and council members agree the current jails are inadequate, they say, "A measure like this should have a more specific and thorough plan on how the funds would be spent." (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)
