Looming budget shortfalls has R-2 cutting bus routes
A hard look at Gasconade County R-2’s bus routes resulted in the consolidation of Route One to save money as future cuts loom at the state …
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Looming budget shortfalls has R-2 cutting bus routes
A hard look at Gasconade County R-2’s bus routes resulted in the consolidation of Route One to save money as future cuts loom at the state and federal levels.
Superintendent Dr. Staci Johnson said on Aug. 17 that the district successfully consolidated Route One into other routes, saving the district between $20,000 and $30,000 for the year.
“That was a planned reduction that we’ve already accomplished for this coming year,” she said. “We will be looking at our bus routes to see what else we can absorb in the coming years.”
However, the current routes are already full.
“It’s important to note how full some of our buses are,” she said. “Also, the distance and amount of time that students are spending on the bus. Those are some of the other things that we think about when we’re talking about cutting bus routes.
You’ll notice that we have absorbed Route One. That was a planned reduction that we’ve already accomplished for this coming year. We will be looking at our bus routes to see what else we can absorb in the coming years. But it’s important to note. How full some of our buses are, and also the distance and amount of time that students are spending on the bus. So those are some of the other things that we think about when we’re talking about cutting bus routes.”
Johnson explained that even if the state did fully fund its transportation formula, it would only cover 75 percent of the district’s cost to run 354 miles of road twice daily.
“But in tight years, like 2008-09, they only funded transportation at 35 to 40 percent,” Johnson said. “Looking at where they are headed in the next couple of years in the state budget, we decided to look and see if any consolidation we had this coming year and were able to eliminate one route. In terms of cost savings, it’s not huge.”
Johnson said they didn’t lay off any staff. The board chose not to rehire a position that was open.
“Everyone who wants to drive a bus is driving a bus,” Johnson said. “We will take more if any others want to drive a bus.”
