Consolidation of bus routes, and a change in school start times has helped reduce the number of buses used in Whitman-Hanson schools to 21 — down from 29 last year and one less than projected in March 2011, accoring to Director of Technology Services Craig Finley.

This represents a savings to the district of about $328,800 over last year.

“We achieved the cost savings we said we were going to accompish,” Finley told School Committee members. “Also the bus contract we wrote last year includes significant fines for vendor issues if First Student is not delivering services they provide.”

Improper bus numbering which leads to confusion and delays in getting students on the right bus, are one of the violations that carried a fine. Another would be for buses running behind schedule.

Fines are also a key compliance tool for the maintenance contract with S.J. Services.

First Student has also purchased new buses that they will be using on Whitman-Hanson routes. Finley stressed the district did not buy the vehicles, nor does it own them.

The new buses will be on the road as soon as First Student completes the registration and state police inspection process, most likely within the next month.

“What I’d like to make sure — as we enter the budget process — is that we are clear with parents the district did not go out and buy 20-something new buses,” Finley said, adding the company makes the change based on the age of the buses. “Our fleet was up for renewal under the contract.”

Some of the new buses have an under-vehicle storage compartment that will be of value for sports teams’ equipment. Some of the larger buses carry 77 students and one model carries 84 students.

In other business, the School Committee heard a recommendation from Jesse Lieb of K12 Insight — a Virginia-based company that designs online surveys and “perceptional measurement studies” — for ways the district can gauge public opinion more effectively. His appearance followed previous School Committee discussions on how to present the budget and the importance of various school department offices and services.

“I want to talk about how educational leaders,  school committtees, build and nurture public trust to address the amazing challenges and opportunitites that are before you this year, next year and beyond,” Lieb said. “I think there’s no debating public education is in the middle of a crisis.”

He said most school committees and administrators across the country spend most of their time “wrestling with a small, vocal minority that tend to live in every community.” He advocated that systematic surveys, done effectively, can energize and motivate the so-called silent majority and compared the process to an annual physical for the district. When people begin to see their opinions are valued and heeded, he said, more will show up.

“The problem is surveys tend to happen very episodically in school systems,” Lieb said. “They generally happen for research — a very sterilized activity. Research is not what we think you need at a time like this. What you really need are emotional connections and bonds and relationships with stakeholders.”

The key is asking the right questions, how they are asked and what is done with the answers, not how often they are asked. He advocated his company could tailor regular surveys that would both measure opinons and knowledge of priorities and help maintain a sense of connection between the district and the community.

“The net result is to create a more consistent communication path, a level of engagement that happens consistently, not something that happens around an issue — such as you have a budget shortfall,” he said. “We would suggest the engagement be ongoing all year loing.”

No decision was planned or made on Lieb’s presentation.

Meeting notes:

• The substitute line item in the school budget, funded at $275,000 has $92,000 left with less than half the school year elapsed. There are also “a lot of people scheduled to go out on maternity leave,” according to Business Director Sharon Andrew.

• The state’s remimbursement for charter school students, typically at 75 percent is down to 25 percent this year.

• The School Committee approved a gift of $8,499 from the Duval PTO to pay for air conditioners to solve a heating problem in upper level classrooms at the school.

• A gift of $7,000 was approved to purchase 10 iPads for special needs students on the autism spectrum at Maquan School, arranged through a foundation by a parent of one of the students. Her child’s language development was enhanced by using an iPad.

• Another gift of 15 used and reconditioned laptops, donated by Harvard-Pilgrim in Quincy, for use by students at Hanson Middle School.

• A field trip request by the WHRHS DECA program was approved for the organization to send 30 students to the annual state conference in Boston.

• School Committee members Robert O’Brien, Stacey Dowd and Robert Hayes were appointed to a subcommittee to negotiate a new contract with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner.