DeSoto Independent School District is preparing to hand its student transportation contract from First Student to Durham School Services, with the switch set to take effect on July 1, 2026. The looming change triggered a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filing by First Student that lists about 74 local jobs at risk, most of them bus drivers. Trustees are slated to weigh final approval at a specially called school board meeting on June 29, 2026.
Five-year deal and why DeSoto is switching
District documents reviewed by Dallas News show Durham is lined up for a five-year agreement worth nearly $3.5 million to run DeSoto's bus routes. Administrators say they scored bids on the provider, service models, operational capacity and pricing to find a mix that is safe, reliable and cost effective. Officials are pitching the move as a stewardship decision meant to balance student transportation needs with responsible use of taxpayer dollars.
First Student's role in school transportation
First Student is one of the largest student transportation companies in the country and, according to First Student, operates in more than 530 locations nationwide. The company manages fleets and routes for hundreds of school systems, which means local bus yards and driver rosters often shift when districts award contracts to competitors. That kind of turnover has led First Student and other national operators to file WARN notices in multiple communities when routes are reassigned.
WARN filing and who could be out of work
On June 9, 2026 First Student submitted a WARN letter stating it expects to lay off 74 employees tied to the DeSoto operation: 54 drivers, 13 monitors or aides, three full-time technicians, one dispatcher, one location safety manager and one shop manager, according to Dallas News. The company told the outlet it could not meet the 60-day notice requirement because it said the district did not provide sufficient advance warning about the change. The filing also notes that DeSoto's buses carry roughly 1,500 to 1,600 students on an average day, while about 3,500 students in the district are eligible for transportation.
Durham's growing North Texas footprint
Durham is not a stranger to North Texas roads. It has been McKinney ISD's transportation provider for years, as reported by Community Impact. In Coppell ISD, Coppell ISD's student handbook lists Durham as the parent contact for route information and questions. Together, those contracts give Durham operational experience in suburban Dallas districts as it gears up to take on DeSoto's routes.
What the WARN Act actually requires
The federal WARN Act generally requires employers with at least 100 workers to give 60 days' advance notice before mass layoffs or plant closings and can leave employers on the hook for back pay and benefits if they fall short, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. That notice period is designed to give employees a window to search for new jobs or seek retraining and to allow local rapid-response teams to step in. DOL guidance lays out the specific notice rules and possible remedies for workers who are covered.
What comes next for DeSoto and its bus crews
If trustees sign off on the Durham contract on June 29, the provider switch could begin July 1, with the district and the company expected to release route details and staffing plans in the days that follow. First Student's WARN filing serves as formal notice to employees and local agencies while affected workers look at options that could include transfers, reassignments or unemployment benefits. The board's vote will determine whether the handoff happens right away or whether more time and planning are built in to ease the transition.
