The Lawrence school board Monday endorsed development of detailed plans for streamlining bus service in the district, including possible elimination of free rides for 1,800 students.
A district budget committee was given the green light to proceed with crafting a scaled-back program that drops free bus transportation to the minimum required by state law.
Generally, no student living closer than 2.5 miles from his or her school would get a free ride. That alone would save the district as much as $435,000 annually.
"This represents a significant change in how we do business," Supt. Randy Weseman said.
The committee also was asked to create a menu of options for starting a pay-to-ride bus system for students dropped from routes.
Consideration should be given to pockets in the district where bus transportation would protect pedestrian children from dangerous vehicular traffic, board members said. Another issue to be studied is whether children living in poverty should be exempt from the bus fees.
No formal commitment was offered by the board, which will be pressed in the next few months to identify as much as $5 million in cost savings or revenue enhancements to balance the district's budget and permit investment in high priority items, including teacher salaries.
Currently, the district provides free bus service to elementary students who live more than 1.5 miles from school, junior high students more than 2 miles from school and high school students more than 2.5 miles from school.
In addition, the district buses children short distances if they live near dangerous intersections or roadways.
If the district altered the transportation format, a five-year contract with Laidlaw Transit Inc. would have to be revised.
"We're going to be able to handle this if you decide to go this way," said Bob Osborn, Laidlaw's branch manager.
He said Laidlaw needs a decision by March to begin preparation for implementation of the new system in August.
Many large school districts in northeast Kansas already have pay-to-ride system, including Blue Valley, which started 10 years. Other districts include Olathe, Shawnee Mission, DeSoto and Topeka.
Weseman said those district administrators were surprised when told Lawrence didn't charge students to ride a bus. A common refrain, he said: "How can you afford to subsidize your transportation to the extent you're doing it?"
Fees range in those districts from $208 per child a year in Olathe to $288 per child a year in Blue Valley. Most districts offer multiple-student discounts and all offer service to students under the 2.5-mile distance to school.
Board members Austin Turney and Jack Davidson said the district had an obligation to explore collaborative opportunities with the city's T bus system.
"Whatever we do, there ought to be a serious attempt to see how many of these children could use the T," Davidson said. "Many of those routes go right by our schools."
Transportation changes are among dozens of ideas district staff and the school board are considering in anticipation that the 2002 Legislature will trim appropriations to public school districts.
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