How Does TCAPS New Transportation Plan Add Up
Thousands of northern Michigan kids ride the bus to school everyday. Transportation is a big chunk of a school district's budget. But over the last year, the area's largest district made major changes to its plan. We told you about it in a previous Fact Finder Report. But now that we're a few months into the school year, several viewers wondered how it's adding up.
The answer is tonight's Fact Finder Report.
School Districts across the state are facing a stark budget reality.
TCAPS Chief Financial Officer Paul Soma says, "the resources we are receiving from Lansing are not enough to run the school system the way we're running it right now."
Every department is under the efficiency microscope. For Traverse City Area Public Schools, one way to cut costs was putting the brakes on bussing.
Soma says, "We fundamentally changed the operation of transportation."
Over the past twelve months followed advice from a consultant to overhaul its transportation policy.
Some of the big changes were parents had to opt in to bus their student. In the past TCAPS had assumed more than nine thousand students were riding the bus, but this year, Soma says, only 7 thousand signed up for bussing.
TCAPS eliminated some bus stops, expanded areas where students would have to walk to school, and started k-12 bussing instead of different buses for elementary, middle and high school students.
The result is fewer miles, and fuller busses.
Soma says, "Buses are more crowded this year and that's by design. It's inefficient to run buses that are half full."
So is the plan adding up?
He says, "We're looking at about a million dollars, that falls short a couple hundred short of our target if that ends up being the number. But I think there will still be room over the course of the year to modify some things and perhaps meet the full $1.2 million target."
Soma admits the plan isn't perfect and they are still working out the kinks. He expects it to run more smoothly next year and possibly save even more money.
How is it working for you? Are you happy with the plan? Are the savings worth the change? Leave your comments below.
