Johnston school officials and staffers from First Student Bus Company are doing their final preparations in advance of the scheduled beginning of school on Aug. 29, Supt. Dr. Bernard DiLullo said during a recent interview at the school department.

For the first time in five years, there will be a different company transporting about 2,100 public school students and attendees of St. Rocco and St. Philip Schools, as well as students who go to vocational and other schools outside of Johnston.

[JohnstonPatch has requested the bus routes, and will post them as soon as they are received. — Ed.]

The school committe voted in May to award the $3.6 million contract to First Student, formerly Laidlaw Bus Company, keeping the district's transportation costs roughly the same as in fiscal 2012.

DiLullo acknowledged that "there were a lot of problems" when Durham first started in 2007, adding that First Student is working address any last-minute issues that may arise.

"We've been working with First Student all summer [and] they've got the routes pretty much in place," DiLullo explained. "The challenge for us, like any district, is late registrations. We're still working on those areas, particularly kindergarten, where you have late registrations with people moving into the district for kindergarten."

Those additions may require adjustments to the pick-up and drop-off schedules, he noted.

Recently in East Greenwich, the school committee voted to require parents to specify one drop-off point for their students, drawing criticism from readers of East Greenwich Patch.

DiLullo said Johnston has had the single-drop-off requirement for a couple of years, and that it will remain in place for the new school year.

Watch JohnstonPatch for more back-to-school news and information, including the new bus routes when they are issued by First Student.