Schools

Possible Cuts to Busing Could Save Twinsburg Schools Money

The district will examine several options for busing next year including shorter bus routes and privatizing busing

Next year, Twinsburg parents may have fewer options for getting their children to school.

As Twinsburg City Schools examine cost-cutting options for the 2012-13 school year, they will also take a hard look at changes to school transportation including canceling busing to students who live closer to their schools.

Superintendent Kathryn Powers said the district could save approximately $1.5 million with changes to busing, pay-to-participate and other cost avoidance options (re-negotiating contracts which Twinsburg Patch will outline tomorrow).

Powers, along with the administration and school board, put together a for the 2012-13 school year. She emphasized that these are just possibilities at this time and that nothing is concrete.

The district is looking at several options to avoid busing-related costs. One of the options would be to stop busing to both high school and middle school students living less than 1.5 miles away, said Assistant Superintendent Mike Lenzo.

“If they live within that mile-and-a-half radius there would be the expectation that they walk or find their own transportation,” Lenzo said.

There is also the consideration of looking at what the state allows. Currently Ohio’s minimum busing for grades K-12 is greater than two miles.

“The State of Ohio defines this as, basically, if you live greater than two miles from school, you’ll have a transportation option,” Lenzo said. “But if you live within two miles, you don’t.”

The difference in busing distance between the two options is determined by how the schools are organized. Because in Twinsburg the schools are determined by grade level, rather than neighborhoods, the busing minimum is shorter for the middle school and high school.

There is also the option of cutting busing to entirely. Many schools will do this to save money because many of the students will drive themselves and others to school. Cuts to the high school routes would also mean the district would no longer have busing to private schools like Walsh Jesuit or Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy.

One interesting option would be to privatize transportation, creating a business arrangement with an outside company.

“We would define what we’re looking at, set that out for  bid, and companies would say, ‘Hey, we could do this for a certain amount of money,’” Lenzo said. “This privatization allows another outside entity to manage our service that we provide to kids.”

Lenzo said they would likely keep the bus fleet and have the outside company use it. That way they have the ability to switch contracts, if necessary, or resume managing their own bus service.

“When we have our own fleet, it allows us to have better flexibility,” Lenzo said.

Corner stops will also be a point of discussion moving forward. By grouping students together more, it can save time and money for the district when it comes to busing.

“The more stops we have, the longer buses are on the road,” Lenzo said. “The longer buses are on the road, the higher the cost.”

Obviously when looking at several of these possibilities, the first thought is of student safety. Lenzo said the district will depend on a partnership with students’ families to help them during busing changes, which he recognizes is difficult.

“We’re going to have to ask families to walk a little bit further to the bus stop,” he said.

Powers said this list isn’t exhaustive and is open to new ideas from the community during the open forum on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium.

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