School Transportation News Magazine | September 2009


[Headlines]


California School Transportation Survives, Barely, to Fight Another Day By Ryan Gray


billion from 2009-2010 general purpose spending, or that money targeted for op- erations and personnel costs. Tey also deferred $1.7 billion in revenues into the 2010-2011 fiscal year fund. Te result is transportation, now more


Dozens of school buses circled the capitol building in Sacramento, Calif., on July 13 as 400 protestors demonstrated against Gov. Arnold Schwar- zenegger’s proposal to cut state funding for buses in an effort to balance the state budget. One attendee called the rally “semi-successful” as the final agreement cut reimbursements by 20 percent instead of the original 65 percent. (AP Photo)


SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On the sur-


face, a 20 percent budget cut doesn’t seem all that bad when compared to an original proposal to reduce state school transportation funding by three times as much. Try selling that to school bus oper- ators in California who have already seen transportation funding cut in half over the last two decades. “We’re going to be experiencing some lay-


offs, it’s pretty much assured the next year or two years,” said Don Corgiat, an equip- ment mechanic at Modesto City Schools located 75 miles east of Sacramento. Corgiat was one of 400 members of the


California School Employees Association who drove to the state capitol on July 13 to protest Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneg- ger’s plan unveiled a month earlier to cut school transportation by 65 percent in an effort to help plug the then-$26.3 billion budget hole. Forty school buses paraded around the capitol building to call atten- tion to school plight. Te group consisted of school bus drivers and other transpor- tation personnel as well as teachers, state schools chief Jack O’Connell, an elected official, and Rob Feckner, president of CSEA, which organized the rally.


26 “It was semi-successful,” added Corgiat.


“It brought attention to our issue.” On average, the state department of ed-


ucation only reimburses schools about 45 cents on the dollar for transportation ser- vices, so cutting that amount by 65 percent would have reduced state school transpor- tation reimbursements to about 15 cents on the dollar. In the end, Schwarzenegger backed away from the proposal as legisla- tors finally agreed to only cut 20 percent from school transportation, a move that appeared to be the lesser of two evils. But schools are also seeing cuts to the


other 55 cents on the dollar derived from Proposition 98 money, which legislators cut by $5.9 billion. In reality, as one pupil transporter said, schools are taking big hits from both sides. Voters passed Prop 98 two decades


ago to commit at least 40 percent of the state’s general fund to public schools and to the state’s community colleges at an average split of 89 percent to 11 percent, respectively. While legislators agreed this summer not to suspend Prop 98, a move made only once before, they utilized an accounting maneuver to cut an additional $1.6 billion after previously cutting $2.6


than ever, being sacrificed on the altar of classroom education. But, as Corgiat pointed out, a Catch-22 arises when cuts to transportation lead to fewer students able to attend class, and even fewer school funds as a result. “In our district, the bus ridership pro-


gram consists of a high percentage of indigent students. Tey’re on free lunch programs already, so [the district is] go- ing to do everything they can to keep the bus program intact to keep their ADA attendance up.” Not to be confused with the Americans


with Disabilities Act, ADA stands for av- erage daily attendance, a revenue gener- ating tool for districts. It is calculated by dividing the total number of days of stu- dent attendance by the number of days of school taught during the same period and multiplying by the maximum allow- able revenue limit, which is about $5,000 per student. So, instead, schools are faced with laying


off school administrators and school bus drivers alike, reducing routes, charging par- ents fees for service, lengthening the school day, shortening the school week, and com- bining services with neighboring districts. As the director of transportation for


Orange Unified School District in South- ern California, Pam McDonald said shehas already laid off nine employees, seven of which are school bus drivers, changed the hours of her second-shift mechanics and reduced office staff from 12 months to 10. And this was all before the 20 percent cut legislators agreed to in late July. “Tis will mean more driver layoffs and


possibly a dispatcher position,” she said. “Again, more students will need to find other means of transportation and the yel- low school bus will not be an option.” n


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