South Orangetown Central School District

2011-12 Transportation Changes

In 2010-11, our school district analyzed transportation to find efficiencies while ensuring student safety.  During this process we learned the following:

• Buses were underutilized, in some cases operating with less than 50% capacity;
• Buses were making multiple stops on streets where fewer stops would safely serve students while saving fuel, money, and time;
• The district could save $480,000 via consolidation of routes and the use of safe centralized stops.
   

During the winter and spring, community presentations about the proposed cost-saving changes were made at Board of Education and budget meetings.  Transportation policy and regulations were revised or enforced in accordance with state law related to child safety and mileage distances. 

There have been questions or concerns from some parents regarding the changes, especially given the fact that families may have different expectations on the matter of transporting students to school.  However, all district transportation decisions must be guided by New York State education law; in addition, such decisions have and always will adhere to the State’s safety standards.

Over the past few years, communities across the state and country have been challenged by difficult economic times.  School funding has been affected.  In SOCSD, we have made every effort to keep costs down while delaying any impact to the classroom. With the legislation of a highly restrictive tax cap, funding our schools will be more challenging than ever.  The district currently spends almost $4 million dollars on busing.  These and many other costs continue to rise while our funding sources have been and will continue to be limited or even reduced.

We need the partnership of parents to help us to make this work.  This begins by understanding why we made these changes and how they benefit the overall education program.  During one of the community presentations in the spring, one parent said, “I would rather have my son walk longer to get the bus than be in an overcrowded classroom.”  With limited funding and many regulated and mandated services, the first to be affected by a loss of funds are those that are not mandated. 

 While we are doing everything possible to find efficiencies throughout the budget, we must separate needs versus wants.  In some instances this relates to convenience versus inconvenience. Changes in the district’s transportation policy that increases safe centralized stops may not be as convenient as they had been during better economic times.  This may result in families having to make alternative arrangements.

No one in the district wants to decrease services or place additional pressures on families.  Unfortunately, with less aid and reduced revenue, we have fewer options and must find more ways to conserve.  Reducing what is not mandated is one of the first places where we will find such savings.   This will not be easy for anyone and will require the cooperation of everyone.

(Please click here to view Questions and Answers about transportation changes in South Orangetown.  You will also find the report on school district transportation that was conducted in September by Dr. Richard Ahola of the Pupil Transportation Safety Institute, the retired Director of Pupil Transportation for New York State and the author of the state’s bus safety regulations.  Dr. Ahola is a national expert on bus safety.)