Under Pressure
Superintendents weigh out all the options to keep their students on buses and in school
By Stephane Babcock Show me the money. It’s become an iconic phrase that
has lost a little punch since it was first shouted by both Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Tom Cruise in 1996’s Jerry Maguire. But the message behind it is something that a majority of school ad- ministrators are still waiting to see. Te economy has begun to rebound since its fatal tumble
began more than a year ago. But school districts are still feel- ing the painful pinch, with states still far from fully recovering. According to a survey from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2012 is primed to be most states’ toughest budget year, with approximately 45 states predicting budget deficits totalling $125 billion. When STN reached out to a sampling of superinten-
dents from around the country, the message rang true once again, with a majority listing funding as one of the top three transportation-related concerns. Cost was a constant worry — cost of buses, cost of insurance and cost of the entire op- eration, itself. Especially of concern are increased fuel prices tied to po-
litical and social unrest in Libya and the Middle East. An STN survey of transportation directors and supervisors conducted in March found that 56 percent of the respondents reported that fuel costs were negatively impacting operations. Te most common effects are reducing field trips and non-essential transportation (or at least increasing the cost per mile), plans for reducing service next school year, less money available for purchasing new school buses or other transportation equipment, and extended walk distances for students. But, of equal concern was the safety of the school
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children while on the bus, something that many superin- tendents understand. “As a varsity basketball coach for seven seasons, I traveled
a lot of miles with my teams,” said Carrollton (Mich.) Public Schools Superintendent Craig Douglas. “On one occasion we were hit nearly head on by a drunk driver in a pick up truck. No one was seriously hurt; the impact was minimal. I am a believer in school bus safety.” Douglas, whose district transports about 150 kids a day, is
working with local contractor Dean Transportation to ana- lyze if there are economies of scale to be utilized by changing
services to meet the county, not just the district, needs. “If we do not jump into a county-wide effort, we will try to
hang on to our current operations,” said Douglas. Other districts have opted out of contracting to lower costs.
In Vermillion, Kan., Superintendent Richard Flores found that purchasing the fleet last year, which had previously been con- tracted out for many years, has allowed USD 380 to reduce operational costs in half in the first year alone. “Tis has allowed us to stay within budget, which is funded
from the Kansas State Department for transporting our stu- dents living more than 2.5 miles from their schools,” said Flores. “Bus service is important to us because we are a rural school district. Te majority of our students live in the country, which would be a great challenge for parents to bring their children to school every day of school.” Paw Paw Public Schools Superintendent Mark Bielang
said he has also found that with the district (located west of Kalamazoo, Mich.) running its own operations, there are tangible cost savings.
I’m a believer in school bus safety. ❞ - Craig Douglas, Carrollton (Mich.) Public Schools Superintendent
Te status of a district budget can change, also, with some
superintendents getting numerous notifications of incom- ing budget cuts. Dr. Daniel Freeman, superintendent for Montgomery County (Ky.) School District, said he feels like he is receiving almost daily notifications of another budget cut or another program that is on the chopping block. “We are, for the most part, living within what has been
provided to maintain an exceptional transportation pro- gram. But the lack of stability when budgeting funds is ever-present,” said Freeman. “We do not have ‘extra’ money in programs to absorb cuts. We have streamlined our trans- portation budget and a reduction in funds would require other money in the district, negatively impacting other pro- grams, to be diverted to transportation.” But these changes aren’t stopping Montgomery County
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