ways enrollment does not fully reflect. Wen said driver shortages have increased the need for alternative trans- portation services for special needs and McKinney-Vento students and routes with a small number of students. That point is echoed in Wake County, where Tonkins
said operational demand can grow even when en- rollment slows. Exceptional children transportation needs, specialized services, school choice programs, traffic congestion and geographic spread all add to the workload. Transportation, he said, has become more individualized and complex, meaning the workload can grow faster than enrollment itself. Clovis Unified also provides its own transportation for
students with special needs, another area that has grown along with overall enrollment. Avants said the district works within its transportation policy and partners with its special education department to manage a growing population of students with individualized education programs. One way the district manages that growth is by expanding existing routes, when possible, rather than automatically increasing the number of buses or drivers needed.
USA'S #1 NAME IN SCHOOL BUS WASHING
Funding the Complexities Funding remains the unresolved question. Ammon said current models are not keeping pace with com- plexity and, in some cases, are working against it. States may use efficiency-driven formulas while also creating requirements that are inherently inefficient, such as low-density or dispersed transportation services. That tension makes it difficult for transportation directors to reconcile educational access goals with the resources needed to deliver service. Ammon described three possible policy paths. The first is a thoughtful analysis of how changing service require- ments affect resource demand, paired with a flexible financial model that allows districts to design systems around their geography, density and structure. The second is a politically driven structure that recognizes in- creased cost and complexity but provides funding based on what is available rather than what is needed. The third is a rushed implementation of a desired policy with little support beyond telling districts to “figure it out.” His concern is that most states will fall into the second or third categories. That, he said, would make transporta-
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WWW.WASH-BOTS.COM 34 School Transportation News • JULY 2026
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