First Student scheduled Plymouth facility closure, 125 expected layoffs after Wayzata contract loss

First Student planned to permanently discontinue operations at its school-bus facility at 15625 32nd Ave. N. in Plymouth on or about July 31, 2026, with 125 employees expected to be laid off, according to a Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development WARN notice.

The notice identifies the unexpected loss of a contract with Wayzata Public School District as the reason stated by First Student for the planned closure and layoffs. With the scheduled date now passed, the filing marks a significant local employment development, although the available public records do not independently confirm the facility’s operating status after July 31.

What the WARN notice says

First Student’s notice, dated May 21, lists the Plymouth facility at 15625 32nd Ave. N. and says the company planned to permanently discontinue operations there on or about July 31. The filing says 125 employees were expected to be laid off and that the action was expected to be permanent.

The affected positions listed in the filing are drivers, dispatch workers, full-time technicians, a location manager and a location safety manager. The positions are tied to the facility’s school-bus transportation operations.

The notice states that there are no bumping rights. In this context, bumping rights generally refer to a more senior employee’s ability to displace a less senior employee in another position. The WARN notice is the primary public record for the projected closure date, employee count, affected positions and stated reason.

Contract loss cited as reason

First Student attributed the planned action to the unexpected loss of a contract to provide services to the Wayzata Public School District. That explanation appears in the company’s WARN filing and should not be treated as an independently adjudicated finding about the contract or any subsequent change in district transportation services.

Wayzata Public Schools provides transportation information through its district website, but the available public information does not independently confirm the contract termination, identify a replacement provider or establish the post-July 31 status of the First Student facility.

Local employment impact

The planned closure affects a Plymouth-based employer and workers connected to the facility. The public notice does not establish that all 125 affected employees live in Plymouth.

Local reporting by Patch independently described the Plymouth location, the expected July 31 closure date, the 125-worker impact, the affected job categories and the contract-loss explanation attributed to the WARN notice.

What remains unconfirmed

The WARN notice uses projected language—“on or about July 31”—rather than documenting that operations ended precisely on that date. The available records establish First Student’s planned permanent closure and expected layoffs, but they do not independently verify whether the facility completed its shutdown, whether all 125 layoffs occurred or whether any transportation work continued after the scheduled date.

For Plymouth workers and residents, the confirmed public development is the announced closure of a school-bus facility and the expected loss of 125 jobs. Separate confirmation from First Student, DEED or another authoritative source would be needed to establish the facility’s current operating status and the final number of layoffs.

Sources

• Minnesota DEED WARN notice for First Student Plymouth
• Patch report: 125 workers to be laid off after Plymouth school bus facility closure