Schools

Facing Uncertain State Funding, District 308 Preps for Transportation Cuts

A change in the way the state pays local school districts for transportation costs could have District 308 out even more money in the coming years.

Oswego Community Unit School  parents with students who take the bus every day likely should brace themselves for some changes in the coming year.

The state of Illinois is set to change the funding formula for how it reimburses local school districts for transportation costs. That change, which would be based on the number of students and miles driven, could mean the district will see about $700,000 less from the state on top of the cuts that have come in the past two years.

Angie Smith, the district’s director of businesses services who oversees transportation, detailed proposals for finding efficiencies in the district’s transportation department, and possible cuts in services, at Monday night’s School Board meeting. Ideas to shore up an increasing funding deficit include outfitting district buses with GPS devices to help track driver activity, and cutting several routes altogether.

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“We had been looking at ways to run things more efficiently, and the new state formula has kind of made that process even more important,” Smith said.

Up until two years ago the state had been reimbursing districts at a rate of 80 percent for both special and regular education students. The state’s budget crisis forced the funding for regular education students to be cut to about 40 percent while special education funding remained untouched.

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District 308 spent about $9.4 million last year running nearly 800 routes, along with other special transportation needs, and should receive a total state reimbursement of about $5.4 million, Smith said. This year, the district has budgeted a little more than $11 million.

This huge funding gap led Smith and Transportation Coordinator Brandy Kackert to embark on a large-scale mission to find where costs could be saved throughout the district’s transportation plan.

Kackert told the board one of the first steps was to determine the efficiency of office staff members, which led to realignment of duties. Smith and Kackert then began the huge task of find ways of cutting actual transportation costs. They presented six recommendations to the board that could add up to about $500,000 in savings.

One recommendation was to consider changing the start times for the high schools and junior highs to 7:25 a.m. and 8:05 a.m. respectively. Those changes could allow for the district to make better use of its own drivers and could save money on outsourcing routes to Illinois Central.

Changes to the elementary school start times were proposed on a three-tier system with school days running from 8:25 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., 8:40 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and 8:55 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Currently the elementary school day runs from 8:40 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Staggering start times could end up saving the district about $150,000 in outsourcing costs, due more efficient uses of district-employed drivers. The district pays $30,000 per year for every route package it outsources, Smith said.

“Changing start times will be difficult, and will be a hardship on some parents,” Smith said. “I get that. We’ll have to make those decisions based on how much money can be saved and how many parents are impacted.”

Board members appeared less than enthusiastic about changing school times and made it clear that Smith’s recommendation was merely a proposal for board consideration.

Another recommendation that will come with a large impact is the elimination of several bus routes throughout the district. In previous years the district has bused some children who live within the 1.5-mile radius of the school that, by state law, they are not obligated to transport, due to reasons that have made those routes unsafe to walk, like ongoing neighborhood construction or lack of a crossing guard/crosswalk.

However, many of those issues have now been resolved and those students with a safe route to school within 1.5 miles will have to walk. Those new walkers who will be able to cross roads safely with a cross guard or cross walk will include:

  • Students who cross Hafenrichter to attend Homestead Elementary
  • Students who cross Fifth Street to attend and
  • Students who cross Wooley Road to attend
  • Students who reside in Morgan’s Crossing and Deerpath Trails attending
  • Students who reside in Amber Fields North attending the Wheatlands Elementary

Changing conditions that no longer qualify these routes as a serious safety hazard include:

  • The majority of students in Grande Park (proper), as most of the sidewalks are now in place, and construction is at a minimum
  • Students attending Grande Park crossing over Ridge Road bridge, which is now complete
  • The majority of Hunt Club, since sidewalks are now mostly in place in the subdivision
  • Some areas in Boulder Hill attending that have been bused previously due to an incorrect boundary
  • Prescott Mill students who attend will be able to walk once an asphalt path is constructed this summer from Harvey Road to the school

Smith also proposed outfitting the district’s buses with GPS devices that will not only help improve communication between parents, the district and drivers, but will allow officials to keep a closer eye on drivers driving off route and bus idle time. The proposal could cost the district about $100,000 upfront for the purchase of the devices, but Smith said a savings about $250,000 could be realized in the first couple of years.

As the state continues to search for ways to shift the transportation funding burden to the local level, Smith told the board a next possible step could be proposing a student fee for transportation. Smith called the possible application of that an “administrative nightmare.”

“Going to a fee is just fraught with issues,” she said. “Kids on free and reduced lunches wouldn’t have to pay, but what about the parents who don’t pay the fee for whatever reason and now their student can’t make it to school? That will just lead to truancy issues.”

Going forward, Smith said it will be important to monitor what the state decides on how it will fund school transportation. Once officials know what to expect for the coming year, decisions will need to be made regarding future services. Smith said the district will notify all parents affected by busing changes for the coming school year. 


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