In 2017, Matthew Chingos and Kristin Blagg of the Urban Institute convened a group of researchers to analyze students' school choices and travel to school in five cities-- Denver, Detroit, New Orleans, New York, and Washington, D.C.--where families are able to select from among many charter and district schools. The team found that a large number…

Whenever a school district considers changing bus stops, bus routes, or bell times, the public reaction is often decidedly unequal to the magnitude of the changes proposed. Unfortunately, the severity of continued budget crises has compelled many school districts to make major changes to their transportation systems. While additional cuts in…

Federal law does not require school boards to provide transportation for all students. But the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) entitles students with disabilities to transportation to and from school if the students' disabilities make it difficult for them to get to school; from, in, and around the buildings where they attend…

Public education is like riding a roller-coaster, except that in education the thrill tends to come on the way up, when the economy is flying high, and funding is flush and the future feels as bracing as the wind rushing past. However, this is not one of those times. The economy seems to be almost in free fall. Optimism plummets with each…

This article reports that with fuel prices soaring nationwide, reaching more than $4 for each gallon of gas or diesel, school districts are struggling to supplement transportation-budget shortfalls and find ways to offset the increasing costs as a new school year approaches. Now districts--most of whose buses run on diesel fuel--are scrambling to…

A struggling economy and skyrocketing fuel costs are making their grim presence felt as school districts across the country open their doors. With fewer dollars to spend, everything from teaching positions to bus transportation is on the chopping block. As students go back to school, many will find themselves in more crowded classrooms with texts…

Examines the relationship between school districts' geography and management strategies and their collective influence on student transportation cost, using 1990-91 data from 533 Missouri school districts. Management factors influence transportation costs more than geography does. When both factors are considered, contracted transportation is more…

In 1981 the transportation costs of an Ohio school district had increased 63 percent over a four-year period. A cost-cutting program was initiated that year, and by 1984 transportation cost increases had been cut to one percent. Includes a list of seven factors that contributed to the cost-cutting program. (MD)

Describes how school districts, faced with shrinking resources, have cut costs for student transportation. To combat rising transportation costs, districts have charged fees for student transportation, entered into private contracts, cut transportation services, used alternative fuels, and streamlined bus routes and schedules. (LMI)

School boards can cut transportation costs by finding out whether busing required for desegregation can be reduced, whether the district is getting all possible state transportation aid, whether owning or contracting for vehicles is cheaper, whether bus routes are economical, and whether joint transportation programs with neighboring districts can…