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source for it. Schools can raise money, it can come from budget or it can come from downtown sources.” Klein referred to 30 or so cultural orga-
A cultural program enlisting the help of local organizations has kept field trips alive in Miami-Dade County Schools.
Tripping Out
DESPITE A RECENT DECLINE, FIELD TRIPS STAY ALIVE WITH GRANT FUNDING, ROUTING EFFICIENCY MEASURES WRITTEN BY MICHELLE FISHER
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iscretionary items are the first to go when budget cuts occur, but when an item has an education- al benefit, administrators and
transportation officials often find creative ways to retain them. According to a 2012 survey by the Ameri-
can Association of School Administrators, 37 percent of respondents said they never con- sidered cutting field trips. Yet, 31 percent said they eliminated field trips for the 2010-2011 school year, and 43 percent stated they were considering this reduction for 2012-2013. Rick Terrell, director of transportation op-
erations at Cypress-Fairbanks ISD in Texas, said he hasn’t seen a reduction so much as a change in the types of field trips offered. “Approximately five years ago, when major cuts began in our school district due to changes in state funding, field trips at the elementary school level were limited to remaining in-district as one of the cost-sav- ing measures,” Terrell told STN. Fortunately, Cy-Fair has a science center,
three nature trails and plenty of additional educational resources within school district boundaries, he said. But the district relies on grant monies and PTA fundraisers for trips to the Houston Zoo or Natural Science Museum. Tere were zero trips cut this school
14 School Transportation News June 2013
year, and Terrell added he has heard of no impending cuts for 2013-2014 — likely due to recent efficiency measures. “As a reduction to overtime costs, our
department now limits drivers and bus attendants to one opportunity that places them into overtime status. Te transpor- tation department drivers no longer serve any athletic trips during route times,” Terrell said, adding that most games are played in-district at one of 10 high schools. Chris Celmer, assistant director of
operations at the Berks County Intermedi- ate Unit in Pennsylvania, said the five area school districts are offering fewer field trips overall but planning some closer to home. “Districts are scrutinizing them more, putting
more internal producers in place to look at the purpose of the trip, and the cost of transportation is a factor,” he said. “Maybe they change the trip instead of eliminating it to allow kids to go to an educational activity.” Jerry Klein, director of transportation at Miami-Dade County (Fla.) Schools, said he has seen a dramatic drop in the number of field trip requests. “We do around a quarter of the trips we
were previously asked to provide. Luckily, we have money from grants to keep certain field trips going,” he said. “When we get a request for a field trip, we always require a funding
nizations involved in the district’s Cultural Passports Program, which gives students the opportunity to visit museums and art gal- leries, and experience live musical, theatrical and dance performances. Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto M.
Carvalho debuted the Cultural Passports Program in 2009, thanks to support from the Knight Foundation, National Endow- ment for the Arts and Target, among others. Program administrator Matthew Sabatello also credited the Miami-Dade County Division of Cultural Affairs. “Te total budget is around $1 million
for about 104,000 students annually, but that doesn’t count organizations providing in-kind services or discount admission fees,” said Sabatello. “Transportation is about half of that amount.” Joseph Rossi of Transfinder Corporation
said routing solutions enable districts to reduce mileage and fuel costs, and to funnel that cost savings back into vital programs. ‘Te budget funds available due to these
changes help the district retain education- al programs and field trips. In addition, Transfinder offers tools to identify individual field-trip expenses, enabling the district to eliminate trips that don’t meet its educational charter,” said Rossi. Michael C. Hinckley of EasyBus Soft-
ware Inc. agreed the latest software solu- tions help transportation departments save on everything from fuel to driver overtime. “We see a strong trend toward wanting to
manage driver overtime,” Hinckley said. “Our newest release of EasyTrip allows dispatchers to instantly discern driver conflicts and over- time consequences when they are choosing drivers for trips.” John Fahey of Tyler Technologies said
scheduling and management software simplifies aspects of field-trip planning like standardized billing and driver and vehicle assignments. “While sometimes viewed as ‘extras,’ sup- plemental transportation for activities such as field trips and cultural events is critical to the overall educational experience of a child,” Fahey affirmed. “School districts need to manage this support as efficiently as pos- sible in our age of shrinking resources.”
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