It seems innovation and creativity is needed now more than ever in the financially distressed Fort Bend school district.
As officials scramble to look for fat to trim to remedy a $21 million budget deficit, they have discovered a 2.2 million potential savings in transportation operations if they cut back on routes, size up the bus load, let kids take longer walks, and get rid of paid transportation services.
District Chief Financial Officer Tracy Hoke said the state’s funding for school transportation has remained flat since 1984.
Chief Auxiliary Services Officer Ben Copeland said low school bus ridership, designation of more hazardous routes than necessary, as well as a heavy task to transport students to and from after-school activities are among the costly concerns.
Proposal to eliminate routes
He proposed eliminating 42 of the 331 regular bus routes – those that don’t include the 86 routes for special education students – to save $1.6 million.
The route reduction could be achieved by ending bus service in areas within two miles of schools, which are designated as hazardous but in fact not meeting hazardous criteria. Officials have identified safe walk paths in service areas for about 10 campuses.
Also, increasing average bus load to 50 secondary-level students per run and 60 elementary-level pupils per run also would result in fewer routes needed.
No more after-school activity runs?
In addition, Copeland proposed doing away with busing for general after-school activities, which currently requires 46 runs for 728 high school riders and 46 runs for middle school riders. Those eliminations would yield $622,000 in savings.
However, he recommended continuing bus service for after-school tutorial programs.
More saving could be attained by cutting back on route mileage while letting students walk longer to bus stops.
In Copeland’s proposal, the maximum walking distance for secondary students would be increased from 1,000 feet to a half mile, or 2,640 feet, while elementary pupils would walk up to 1,000 feet to a stop, compared to the current limit of 500 feet.
Bell schedules could change
Another idea is to shift bell schedules - stretching the timeframe in which a driver is able to make trips to more campuses during each run.
Under the proposal, elementary schools will start 8:10 a.m. and terminates at 3:10 p.m. while middle schools’ day runs from 8:55 a.m. to 3:55 p.m. High schools’ schedule would remain unchanged.
Copeland also suggested canceling a paid transportation program – service to students who don’t qualify for free transportation but pay a $27 monthly fee to ride school buses.
He said the fee isn’t enough to cover the cost of service. Doing away with the program would save the district $20,000, he said.
Some school board trustees expressed concerns about the proposed changes during a recent workshop.
Susan Hohnbaum said she is worried about pupils having to walk more.
“Kids are riding the bus obviously they need a ride to the school,” she said. “If they don’t, their neighbors will have to take them or their mom and dad have to take them if their schedule allows that.”
Trustee Sonal Bhuchar said safety is a concern.
Hoke suggested enhance campus education on safe walking and practice safe walking.
But trustee Marilyn Glover urged parental involvement.
“Parents have the same role in teaching safety. Schools can not do everything,” she said.
Copeland said more crossing guards would have to be enlisted if his proposal is adopted.
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Comments
Poor Planning
If they had managed their spending and budget before the crisis began 3 years ago with the record bond election we wouldn't even be having this discussion now.
This is all reducing services so they can create a panic and a
This is all reducing services so they can create a panic and a quiet community when it comes to pushing a roll back election. I see it in my crystal ball. What they won't do is cut that lovely little newsletter and other line items that add up to almost half a million that do not impact services. I guess the superintendent likes seeing his picture on the expensive 300-400k newsletter.
-Ask for the official 2007 bond statement
-FBISD financial audit report
-CAFR reports
& the full budget
Dig a little and then ask them why they aren't making this information available to the public for closer scrutiny. Of course that won't let them play this hide-n-seek with the information and push for support for a roll back election.
Less service but higher taxes?
Less service but higher taxes? What's with this? They keep jacking our property tax rates up and cutting services to us.
Is Bus Services In The Bill Of Rights?
like all govenment services FBISD must be cut back.
Free Bus Service...
Free lunches
Free breakfast with concierge service catered to students desks.....
when does it stop?
what you talkin' bout mc?
Free bus service: legally required up to certain distances; shorter distances not legally required are being scaled back.
Free lunches: leave the country club once in awhile - they're federally required for certain students of specific economic standing.
Free breakfast et al.: you aren't really this unintelligent, are you?
It's OK to disagree with the way your taxes are spent - we all do that to a degree. To simply sit around your personal "kingdom" and last out is counterproductive.
I see mcv, we aren't paying ever increasing taxes each year for
I see mcv, we aren't paying ever increasing taxes each year for these services? These are not "free". We are paying for them and Jenney is cutting them back while asking for raises for himself and more money for vendor projects. Now that is smart. Strip the classrooms and learning for the vendors.
Just check the CAFR reports
There is plenty of money, but the district is hiding them in "contingency" funds or what they are calling the fund balance for their special building projects. Just request the information and be very patient. This is public information and you have to turn it over.
There must be a tapeworm eating a hole in the school district
There must be a tapeworm eating a hole in the school district budget. It seems each year they come back to us with some lame excuse and ask for more. This year they are declaring a "financial emergency". No doubt they will be seeking alot more than the last two cycles.
Fork up folks, fork up!
Bus stops
In my neighborhood the elementary students walk up to a mile to get to the school. It is too far to walk for middle school and high school, so they ride the bus. The bus stops every block (the width of 2 houses) through the entire neighborhood to pick up the older kids. This is on a four-lane road where traffic gets quite backed up. I really think the older kids could walk a bit more to cut down on the stops the bus needs to make.
Yep, less service but I bet they keep hiking the CADs and
Yep, less service but I bet they keep hiking the CADs and property tax rates on us folks.
Bus Drivers wasting money
Why don't they crack down on these bus drivers that sit in parking lots with the Buses running and B/sing with each other; after all the other buses are returned to the bus barn for the day. Or the one that sits on the side of the road with the bus running and the driver reading the Newspaper until it is time to make their 1st pick up? The District is paying these drivers to sit in parking lots after their shift should have ended (OT?) plus the extra gas/diesel they are wasting by letting the buses run! I have even seen Drivers on personal errands in the school buses! Hey folks...start buckling down and monitoring these people instead of cutting back services to our kids! I'm paying taxes for my kids education..not for some lazy people to sit around wasting money!
"..not for some lazy people to sit around wasting money!"
Good idea Grote and how about we get rid of this superintendent that came in demanding $60k more than the last one and wanted bonuses and other perks on top.
"..not for some lazy people to sit around wasting money!"
Good post to and it applies to under-performing superintendents and his immediate cohort at the central office.
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