Deer Park Schools May Combine Busing

Shrinking budgets are forcing far North Side school districts to rethink old ideas of student busing.

After a year of review, a Deer Park School District committee is recommending single-shift busing that would put high school students on the same buses as kindergartners.

The school board is expected to act on the recommendation at its July 24 meeting.

Small school districts have been forced to carefully reconsider transportation budgets after the 1995 state Legislature altered a critical funding formula.

Deer Park received $77,000 in the 1994-95 school year, and $5,400 last year. This year, the district expects to receive about $56,000.

Nine Mile Falls and Riverside districts also felt shortfalls. Nine Mile will receive about $20,000 less this year than it did two years ago and Riverside about $40,000 less.

“There is no place to cut in transportation budgets,” said Riverside Business Manager Cathy Stroyan.

All three districts bus a high percentage of students, higher than Mead or Spokane District 81. And students are bused farther. Some Deer Park students ride two hours each way, resulting in high costs.

One solution is to pay a private vendor, which tends to be cheaper than owning a fleet of buses. Riverside is considering contracting out bus services to a private vendor, according to district personnel.

Nine Mile Falls already contracts bus services to a private busing company.

Deer Park Business Manager Wayne Leonard said the proposed busing changes are designed to take advantage of busing formulas.

The state pays districts for the number of bus routes run. A second trip on the same route - to pick up elementary students after high school students are dropped off - is not funded.

“We would generate an additional $60,000 a year in revenue” with single-shift busing, said Leonard.

But the idea has been poorly received by school bus drivers and by some elementary school parents. Bus drivers stand to lose about 25 percent of their income if single-shift busing is adopted.

The drivers’ union is contesting the decision.

If adopted, elementary and high schools would start between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m., which some elementary parents say would cause problems with work schedules.

, DataTimes