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Elkhorn students peer out from their school bus after a day of school in August 2008. School districts are looking at ways to decrease spending across the board and increase revenue. This could ultimately lead to parents paying to have their children taken to school. (News-Sentinel file photograph)
Budgets hit buses
Students could be paying to ride as districts cut costs
In light of tight budgets, some local school districts are looking at extending the distance students can walk to school in order to save money on fuel and bus drivers, or charging parents for the cost of operating buses.
Transportation costs are one of the largest chunks of the Lodi Unified School District budget, Superintendent Cathy Nichols-Washer said.
The district could move toward a home-to-school program similar to the one adopted by the Galt Joint Union High School District last spring.
Starting last school year, all students there who use a district bus for home-to-school transportation were charged $180 per year. Parents were also given the option of buying a $30 ticket for 20 one-way trips.
The district's new policy lets all students ride the bus for the first 10 days of the year, but after that, students need to show a pass that proves they paid. If students don't have a pass, they can lose student body privileges. The fee was used to defray costs of escalating gas and transportation costs not met by state funding.
Elk Grove Unified School District charges $225 annually for the first rider, while other districts are charging as high as $300 per year, according to Galt officials.
Jim Bauler, Galt Elementary School District's assistant superintendent, is working with the school's transportation department to examine bus routes with hopes of that district saving money.
That could include streamlining service and using only one bus per school, Bauler said.
"We had prepared new routes to improve efficiency and student time on buses for the 2009-10 school year," said Superintendent Karen Schauer of the plan which involved assigning one bus per school with no student riding on a bus for more than one hour. "This bus schedule is now being changed again due to possible further state transportation reductions."
If the state passes a proposed 65 percent across-the-board transportation funding reduction, the district will receive only $90,000 to support a $630,000 transportation program.
"We are now re-doing the bus schedule with the reduction of four bus driver positions and preparing a bare bones transportation schedule for 2009-10," Schauer said in an e-mail.
Officials there have already increased the student walking distance to save money. Under state law, districts must provide bus service only to those grade-schoolers living more than a mile away from the school.
The board voted earlier this year to increase the walking distance for elementary students from three-fourths of a mile to one mile for kindergarten through sixth-grade. Middle school students who live more than two miles from school will continue to be allowed to ride the bus, according to Schauer.
This will save money on fuel costs for buses, she added. In Lodi Unified — where the walking radius is among the largest in the area — officials started looking at its bus routes last fall when the board first began examining ways to cut costs.
Its fleet includes about 75 buses and costs roughly $4,000 a day in diesel. In addition to providing transportation to far-flung Clements school, the district also buses students to Tokay Colony Elementary School south of Lockeford. Service to Elkhorn Elementary School was eliminated last school year to save money, since students were being bused to the North Stockton campus from all over the district.
When gas prices shot up to more than $3.50 per gallon last school year, the transportation department combined routes, cut back overtime and used its compressed natural gas buses for longer trips.
On average, a Lodi Unified bus travels approximately 120 miles a day.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget revision includes more than $400 million in cuts to school transportation.
For Lodi Unified, the proposal would cut 65 percent from its transportation budget. It currently receives roughly $5.1 million from the state, according to Chief Business Official Doug Barge.
Because of this, at a recent meeting, trustee Calvin Young once again broached the idea of pay-to-ride for all bus passengers except those who are low-income or special needs, but the item has yet to be scheduled for further discussion.
However, the district was unsuccessful in getting parental support when it was proposed to save bus transportation to Elkhorn last year.
There are other ways local districts have looked at raising revenue. Earlier in the school year, Galt's elementary district discussed opening its doors to half-year kindergarten to allow more students to enroll in January, thus increasing the amount of per-pupil funding schools would receive from the government. But Schauer said the idea never went before the board.
And both Lodi Unified and Galt High School districts briefly discussed charging an athletic fee but one was not adopted.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact reporter Jennifer Bonnett at jenniferb@lodinews.com.
Current walking distances
Galt Joint Union High School District: Two-mile radius before eligible for bus service.
Galt Joint Union Elementary School District:
K-6: 1 mile (up from three-fourths of a mile last school year).
7-8: 2 miles.
Lodi Unified School District:
K-6: 1.5 Miles
7-8: 2.5 Miles
9-12: 3.5 Miles
News-Sentinel staff
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edumacation wrote on Jul 17, 2009 12:39 AM:
Time is money. Wasting your life with amusements is the right of everyone. Some don't play that game.
Financially there are two kinds of people: Debtors and Creditors. It starts at an early age. My kids have never been debtors from age 18. "
edumacation wrote on Jul 17, 2009 12:33 AM:
Lodian wrote on Jul 16, 2009 6:20 PM:
Actually, yes! lol! Kids are different and parents need to decide what is best for their child. You're not going to get rid of video games and TV. Todays technology (video games, computers, valuable TV programs etc) is to be embraced, but with parental guidance. These things have great value. I know it can be a challenge to monitor the use of these things, but that's our job as parents. Our kids live in a technical world and they need the exposure to be a part of that world as an adult.
So, how can we parents make sure to get the kids away from the TV and tech stuff for awhile, like heading out to the great outdoors, if the kids are bound to the house by more homework and less time off? Yes, edumacation, there is great value in family time away from the classroom. "
Lodian wrote on Jul 16, 2009 6:05 PM:
edumacation: Do you really think more class time and homework would change this behavior? "
Lodian wrote on Jul 16, 2009 6:01 PM:
Lodian wrote on Jul 16, 2009 5:54 PM:
There are plenty of families that care a whole heck of a lot and the kids do very well, even flourish, without adding school hours/weeks and weekend/holiday homework assignments, to the school year.
Do we need to make changes to focus on the lower end of the spectrum while punishing the kids and families already doing very well?
Maybe your suggestions could be forced on the lower achieving students/families, but that still probably wouldn't work, as they'd just bail altogether.
I say let my husband and I decide what is best for our children and schedule our children on weekends/holidays/vacations as we see fit.
My main point is that you are not going to be able to force kids/families to achieve by adding more on top of what they already have trouble dealing with regarding their education. "
edumacation wrote on Jul 16, 2009 3:50 PM:
I taught high school algebra, geometry and trigonmetry courses while completing one of my credentials. One of the most frequent excuses I heard from children AND parents for poor performance on classwork, homework, and assessments, was that algebra and geometry required too much time to learn and kids needed more time to "play". Gosh, Ms. Smith we wanna have fun, and kids are supposed to have fun! These "kids" were up to 18 years old---and many acted like they were 9 years old.
I was also informed that these "kids" also needed "more time" with family. I also noted tnat these kids, were also the ones who would spend hours playing with fingerboards and other toys while in class during instruction "
Lodian wrote on Jul 16, 2009 1:16 PM:
Correct me if I am wrong about you here, but you almost seem to have some sort of attitude about my position that "family time" is valuable, more valuable than adding more hours, weeks and homework to a child's life. "
Lodian wrote on Jul 16, 2009 1:08 PM:
edumacation: You are answering a question with a question. I'll ask again...
Why/how would longer school days, less vacation days, extra weekday homework and weekend/holiday assignments be positive in my child's life? "
edumacation wrote on Jul 15, 2009 6:35 PM:
The more the preparation and study the higher the achievement.
There is a time to be a child and a time to grow up. When I see babies in their mid twenties I know what didn't happen at home. Mommy wouldn't let go. "
Lodian wrote on Jul 15, 2009 3:22 PM:
Lodian wrote on Jul 15, 2009 3:15 PM:
Your sharing of all the personal experiences with your home-schooled children is great, but let's get back to your assertion that a longer school day in the LUSD, more weekday homework and weekend/holiday assignments from the teacher/school is warranted and positive.
More hours in class, more homework assignments and weekend homework commitments do not make Johnny a more educated individual.
You seem to want to leave out family life and family decision making altogether. Family time is most valuable.
I do not agree that the teacher/school should further be involved in our home life and family time. I have valuable plans for our family on weekends/holidays and I would not approve of our family time being taken over by the teacher/school.
The teacher/school cannot make better decisions for my children than we can when the kids are away from the classroom.
Again, I find your position curious since you said your children were home-schooled. I would think you would prefer "less" teacher/school encroachment on your family time as this would lessen your ability to make your own personal family decisions. "
edumacation wrote on Jul 15, 2009 12:29 PM:
edumacation wrote on Jul 15, 2009 12:24 PM:
Lets look at extracurricular activities.
Sports, yes! Service working Yes (vbolunteer work while in grades 10-12.
MORE READING, WRITING AND ARITHMETIC. Write until the kids have callouses on their fingers. No more time to be "bored". "
Lodian wrote on Jul 15, 2009 10:19 AM:
edumacation wrote on Jul 15, 2009 8:40 AM:
According to studies on family time, the average for talking-communicating, is about 15 minutes to 30 minutes per day.
Up until this economic depression many families with two parents have both adults working.
Visit any school and observe kids standing around the early morning hours, because no parent is home. Now revisit 6 hours later. Kids are still hanging around.
The so-called latchkey phenomenon has turned our schools into primarily babysitting operations. The County Dept of Education (LUSG participates) has a special program that starts as early as 6:00 am to watch PRESCHOOLERS, and this continues to 9:00 pm. Very little instructional time is involved. It is BABYSITTING.
Of course family time is important, but PRODUCTIVE family time is even more important. Learning together is fun. If teachers want to help structure activities (called homework) that's a plus!
Issue number two: Families with TV's should have them strictly controlled.
TV's are the biggest time waster for many lives (children as well as adults). Limit to 30 minutes per day. "
Lodian wrote on Jul 15, 2009 1:44 AM:
edumacation wrote on Jul 15, 2009 12:12 AM:
What is so wrong with excellence? "
edumacation wrote on Jul 15, 2009 12:07 AM:
High school diplomas are handed out like candy and there is virtually no requirement for responsibility and accountability.
When do you want kids to grow up? On the night before their 18th birthday?
California academic standards are printed, but it means nothing if we only talk the talk and don't walk the walk.
When I was in elementary school, there never was homework. Why? Because teachers and parents required us to be responsible at an early age.
You may want to hide children from challenges, but that does nothing but harm to them.
Kids know who the hiders/losers and workers/winners are!
All of our schools should have the same DISCIPLINE AND EXPECTATION requirements as Elkhorn and MCHS. "
Robb wrote on Jul 14, 2009 7:32 PM:
Lodian wrote on Jul 14, 2009 3:54 PM:
Lodian wrote on Jul 14, 2009 3:45 PM:
Now you are over simplifying things here. Your comment is just not true. "
Lodian wrote on Jul 14, 2009 3:42 PM:
Re #7 Encourage homework assignments over weekends and holidays.
Why is this necessary? "
Lodian wrote on Jul 14, 2009 3:40 PM:
Re #5. Lengthen the school day.
Why? "
edumacation wrote on Jul 13, 2009 6:34 PM:
She has proven that a student who is motivated can be excellent in ALL parts of her life from family, cultural, religious, sports and academic. Do you think students like this sit around and complain they are bored, or its too much work? Do academic students sit around playing video games or watching TV? "
edumacation wrote on Jul 13, 2009 6:24 PM:
There are two types of people. People who welcome challenges and people who hide from, challenges. I concede that there are lazy parents as well as lazy students. So I will compromise. the professional teachers would be required to be present for instructional time 8 hours per day unhindered by the dumb bus schedules. The lazy kids can get picked up by the lazy parents, and that way the kids and parents who care can study and learn without the incessant baby whining---"I want to watch cartoons or play video games---I am bored---". Waaah!
Item #6 Books can easily be tracked by a UPC code system--just like the public library. Its either checked out or it is not.
My main interest is the waste of spending a huge amount of the budget to replace books which are UP TO DATE. The only thing that changes in most K-12 textbooks are the PC drawings and photos. History is history, reading is reading, arithmetic is arithmetic. What is so "new" about learning to read? "
edumacation wrote on Jul 13, 2009 6:12 PM:
1)There may be additional costs incurred, but the aggregate expenses well be much much less!
Student absences can easily be checked by computerized telephony. The Grand Poobah thinks nothing about calling me concerning cabinet meetings. They can use the same system they use to call parents in school emergencies.
Subcontracted temporary clerks working only when school is in session could do the job cheaper than paying for buses, bus drivers, liability insurance for transportation and vehicle maintenance and fuel charges. It is the parents responsibility to comply with the truency law, not the school district.
Disruptions because of late arriving students can be handled similarly, plus an additional motivator. The Principal would be REQUIRED to be the interim teacher for tardy students. If the principal used their authority, I doubt that students would continue being tardy. A strict principal produces a disciplined student body. It would save thousands of instructional hours currently wasted by students and teachers with the current transportation system. In this way students and parents would be forced onto lying to the principal FIRST instead of second. "
Lodian wrote on Jul 11, 2009 9:55 PM:
Re: 5. I see no need to lengthen the school day. Over six to seven hours should be sufficient.
Re: 6. Just not sure about a moratorium. Students deserve to be taught current material. I'd say a better money saver would be to keep a better tracking system in place so books are returned in a timely manner.
Re: 7. It's insane to have more homework over weekends and holidays. Family time and other educational activities are just as priceless as a good education in the classroom. Leave this time for the family to decide.
Re: 8. See response to #7 "
Lodian wrote on Jul 11, 2009 9:54 PM:
1) Eliminate bussing except for the physically disabled.
5) Lengthen the school day.
6) Moratorium on new versions of textbooks.
7) Encourage homework assignments over weekends and holidays.
8) Remove one week of winter break and one week of summer break.
Continued........... "
edumacation wrote on Jul 10, 2009 2:10 PM:
1) Eliminate bussing except for the physically disabled.
2) Eliminate ALL consultants.
3) Eliminate all instruction related subcontractors.
4) Eliminate the Senior project.
5) Lengthen the the school day.
6) Moratorium on new versions of textbooks.
7) Encourage homework assignments over weekends and holidays.
8) Remove one week of winter break and one week of summer break.
9) Subcontract most overhead positions in the central office including payroll, personnel, etc etc etc.
10) Initiate an annual, year end, grade level test for grades K-11. This assessment would stictly following the standards for California state content standards. This instrument could be very simple and short (50 minutes). It would help parents learn what REAL grade level their child is in.
We could continue the practice of "social promotion", but now parents can ask:
"How did my child receive Straight A's when they can't read or write at grade level?
Why do we hide "bad news" from parents?
Is is because we abhor excellence, hate competition and object to individual responsiblity? "
Oh Bull ! wrote on Jul 9, 2009 10:17 PM:
Pat Maple wrote on Jul 9, 2009 8:55 PM:
Lou wrote on Jul 9, 2009 7:12 PM:
Eliminate busing; add a flex schedule that students may start school (arrive at school as early as 6:00AM and as late as 6:00PM. In between, send them to class and "help the little darlings" to get their homework done; each day everyday. Trust me, the homework issue drives most parents nuts.
The parents can have their children walk or carpool depending how far away from school they live. Eliminate the Senior Project, eliminate most worthless consultants who cost much but teach us next to nothing.
What did we just save $7,000,000 plus?
Jeff, what do you think? "
jeff wrote on Jul 9, 2009 5:32 PM:
I did not know, until about 6 mos. ago, when this subject was first broached, that bussing, even for rural students is not required. Districts are not obligated to transport students to school. I know it is very, very unpopular, but eliminating or requiring parents to subsidize bussing is a logical move.
I do believe that as long as schools provide prep athletics (I see that staying far longer than bussing) they should also provide buses to away events. Not every student has parents that can transport them. Not to mention the INCREASED liability those parent drivers (and they would be the same ones nearly every time) are taking on. There was day, not so long ago, that LUSD would never allow a parent to drive any athlete other than their own child, due to the liability. "
Lodian wrote on Jul 9, 2009 12:34 PM:
" Sorry tired......they gave up busing at Elkhorn long ago. "
Elkhorn stopped busing last year. "
Lodian wrote on Jul 9, 2009 12:32 PM:
"Regarding the senior project.....it has been my observation that the senior project for kids who are college bound find it a waste of time. It interferes with their AP and Honors classes."
Observer: You are correct! "
RUNthere wrote on Jul 9, 2009 12:31 PM:
mom of 2 wrote on Jul 9, 2009 11:39 AM:
I see your point though. Every child has a right to education. A ride should not be a reason to not get an education. "
Whoa Nellie! wrote on Jul 9, 2009 11:35 AM:
A few points: 1) Students at Tokay Colony are picked up as close as 1/4 of a mile from the school. TC also serves as a hub where middle & high school students change buses. 2) Start & ending times of school are based on the bus schedules.
Finally, someone brought up the Senior Project. I agree, drop it. I have been a Parent Judge at Lodi High for three years and can say with 110% confidence that the AP college bound students do the best job on these projects. Average students do a good job, with a few doing very good reports. While the students who could get the most benefit, the slightly less than average students simply stumble through the project report and oral presentation. I have seen four really OUTSTANDING projects out of 20, and probably six students who I would have failed. The project is a huge waste of time... and money. "
Oh Bull ! wrote on Jul 9, 2009 11:28 AM:
Buy the way do your kids go to Elkhorn? "
Oh Bull ! wrote on Jul 9, 2009 11:25 AM:
iambic grape stomp wrote on Jul 9, 2009 10:53 AM:
Observer wrote on Jul 9, 2009 10:40 AM:
mom of 2 wrote on Jul 9, 2009 10:34 AM:
If you choose to live in the country, then you have to drive into town for every other reason. Why not to bring your kids to school too. "
iambic grape stomp wrote on Jul 9, 2009 10:00 AM:
tired wrote on Jul 9, 2009 9:52 AM:
Has anyone witnessed the transportation waste from Elkhorn school. There are enough buses to transport the school population three times, however, every bus only has few kids on it. "
Observer wrote on Jul 9, 2009 9:49 AM:
my belief wrote on Jul 9, 2009 9:34 AM:
Let's talk senior projects. As a past judge, I heard projects dealing with tatooing, car repair and cooking. If seniors can't write a paper by their senior year, Lodi schools should be ashamed. There wasn't any 'character building'. "
Lou wrote on Jul 9, 2009 9:06 AM:
I think Senior projects are a complete waste of time and money and add nothing to the reason "they" are "there"...to learn something they can put to good use in college or in the world of work. Too many of these Senior projects become a group effort or oursourced to someone's mechanically inclined uncle.
If you want to spend 300k and have it mean something, spend it on test preparation for the SAT. The SAT is the biggest test you will ever take in your life; it follows you everywhere. Colleges are almost exclusively looking at SAT scores not grades. They (the colleges) know that they can trust "the" test because (for the most part)it is uniform, valid* and completely objective. They cannot count on John's B in English from a California school to be anywhere near Sue's B from Texas in English. Grading is...is becoming (I am sad to say) increasingly subjective and not a good measure of academic accomplishment.
* Valid means that it measures what it was intended to measure. "
Lou wrote on Jul 9, 2009 8:48 AM:
I stand corrected. That's nine-fold the difference to end busing. Jeff, by the way, did you know that busing drives (pun intended) the entire daily District schedule. Let's think for a moment, the bus schedule runs each and every regular school day. Get rid of busing and we can do just about anything we want; like having the kids do their homework at school and come home with nothing but a smile on their bright and shining little faces. Then the parents don't have to guess if Jr. is doing his homework nor arguing about "what he/she" hasn't got done the family can spend a nice quite evening together. What a concept.
Yep. I am in full agreement with the rest of you who want to get rid of all busing. "
boonablis wrote on Jul 9, 2009 8:28 AM:
mom of 2 wrote on Jul 9, 2009 8:27 AM:
On Senior projects... why is this part of a public school. I agree that kids should have the challenge, but you can do this through the Boy Scouts Eagle project or through 4-H. It does not need to be at the expense of the LUSD. "
jeff wrote on Jul 9, 2009 8:01 AM:
Lou wrote on Jul 9, 2009 7:59 AM:
That said, the Senior project and all these consultants still must go. Anyone who believes we will see the end of this broken economy any time soon better buckle-up. We need to save money any way we can. "
Observer wrote on Jul 9, 2009 7:47 AM:
wtf wrote on Jul 9, 2009 7:47 AM:
When my oldest was in the fourth grade, we lived in a house with a grade school on the corner yet due to "forced busing" she was sent clear across town (this was when we lived in Stockton).
It's crazy. When I was a kid, my Mom found a house with the grade school a few blocks away; the junior high a little further and the high school the farthest.
Guess what?
I walked to school the entire time. They need to bring back neighborhood schools. "
commonsense wrote on Jul 9, 2009 6:56 AM:
Lou wrote on Jul 9, 2009 6:14 AM:
I think I just read that this big deal "bus deal" is a $630,000 problem.
Is that correct, 1/500th of the District's budget. Paragraph 10.
Hey, I have a better idea! Ditch the so-called Senior Project and save $300,000; everyone knows by now that it's a worthless program with no value (except to keep some student's handyman uncle busy). You can clip another $250,000 by doing away with all the idiot consultants the District hires; including, but certainly not limited to, the Pacific Group being paid nearly 300k so they could help teachers get in touch with their inner-bigot.
Besides, just about everybody knows that someone's gettin' some kind of kickback on these 'I can't believe their doing it again deals'. Rule of thumb, especially with this district, if it doesn't making any common sense some kleptocrat has his hand in someone's pocket.
Oh, the District should reconsider hiring "know nothing" "do nothing" front line administrators who pull down $230,000 a year (like the Superintendent)....and the Associate Superintendent at about 170K per year.
Question of the day...what's the difference between a Superintendent, an Associate Superintendent and a Assistant Superintendent? "
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