KATY ISD AGAIN LOOKS AT CUTTING BUSES:
Trustees look at cutting bus runs
By HELEN ERIKSEN, CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT
Published 12:25 pm, Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Wrestling with ways to slash costs, Katy Independent School District officials say eliminating bus routes for thousands of students who live within 2 miles of their school could shave about $5 million off annual transportation expenses.
According to the Texas Education Code, school districts that operate a transportation system are entitled to allotments for students who live 2 or more miles from the campus they attend. For 2010-11, Katy ISD incurred $13.5 million in transportation costs and the state reimbursed $3.8 million.
A district consultant previously identified limiting bus rides to those reimbursed by the state to lower costs, said G.E. "Scooter" McMeans Jr., assistant superintendent for support services.
"That particular expenditure reduction was removed from consideration in the summer months as school was approaching," McMeans said.
Superintendent Alton Frailey said the board asked the administration to continue to look at cost-saving opportunities and possible changes to transportation services are now being revisited.
The district will continue to study options and any decision would not impact service for the current school year.
"We will wait for board direction before we do anything else with this," Frailey said.
Other local school districts already have cut bus transportation, including Spring and Cy-Fair, McMeans said.
At the beginning of the school year, many parents in Fort Bend Independent School District learned that they would have to find alternative transportation for their children. Fort Bend ISD no longer provides rides to students who live within a 2-mile radius unless they travel a route designated as hazardous.
In Katy ISD, students who live beyond 1,500 feet or about 3/10 of a mile of their schools are provided transportation services. In this capacity, the district serves 15,000 elementary students and 12,500 secondary students, who travel a combined 3.7 million miles to and from schools annually, McMeans said.
The transportation cost per student in Katy ISD is $232.06.
School officials, who are also evaluating safety issues and the potential impact on attendance, say the district could eliminate more than 100 bus runs in applying the 2-mile transportation model. This would also reduce the number of students served to about 10,000.
The state's formula is based on the daily transportation cost for each eligible student.
Since 1984, the state has allotted $1.25 per mile for regular education program runs, McMeans said. The state allots $1.08 per mile for the special-needs program and $3.25 per mile for the career and technology program, he said.
In 2010-11, this translated for Katy ISD to reimbursements of $2.1 million for the regular program; $1.6 million for special needs and $115,000 for career technology.
The education code provides some exceptions to the 2-mile rule.
The district receives an allotment for students living within 2 miles of their assigned school who would be subjected to hazardous traffic conditions if they walked to school.
The state considers a condition hazardous when "no walkway is provided and students must walk along or cross a freeway or expressway, an underpass, an overpass or bridge, an uncontrolled major traffic artery, an industrial or commercial area, or another comparable condition."
The district is also reimbursed for students who are eligible for special education services.
Trustee Rebecca Fox said there would be some difficult decisions ahead and she is thankful the district provided extended bus services for another year.
"But when you look at a $5 million impact per year, it's a difficult thing that we have to discuss but it is necessary in the light of today's economy," Fox said.
School officials say bell schedules and bus stops could change if the district moves forward with the 2-mile bus limit.