Fort Bend Independent School District NEWS RELEASE FROM COMMUNITY RELATIONS Mary Ann Simpson, Chief Communications Officer maryann.simpson@fortbendisd.com    281.634.1100

**  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  **

Proposed new school start/stop times and changes to bus transportation services aimed at reducing FBISD budget costs

FORT BEND ISD — the district continues to analyze data from every service area to determine all available options to eliminate a proposed $18 to $20 million deficit and produce a balanced budget for the 2010-2011 school year.  At the Monday, March 8, 5:00 pm Board Budget Workshop, Ben Copeland, Chief Auxiliary Services Officer, presented Trustees with several strategies that collectively would reduce bus transportation costs by approximately $2.2 million next year.  Cost-saving strategies presented include:

• Shifting bell schedules to improve routing efficiency between bus runs:  the elementary start/stop time would change to 8:10 am – 3:10 pm, from the current 8:00 am - 3:00 pm; the middle school start/stop time would change to 8:55 am – 3:55 pm from the current 8:50 am - 3:50 pm; and, there would be no changes to the current high school start/stop time.
• Increasing the number of students per bus run with a target average bus load of 50 students per run for high school and middle school; 60 students per run for elementary.
• Decreasing overall bus route mileage by increasing the student walk-to-stop. Basically this means buses would be making fewer stops to pick up/drop off students. As a result, students may walk up to ½ mile for secondary students and up to 1000 feet for elementary students to their designated bus stop.
• Reviewing all hazardous area bus service offered within two-miles of schools and recommending elimination of bus service in areas that no longer meet conditions for hazardous area service.  For example, at one time, a particular neighborhood may have been granted bus service because of road construction in the area.  However, once the road construction is complete, transportation should no longer be provided if students live within the campus walk zone.
• Eliminating after school general activity bus runs, except for student tutorials, at the middle and high schools.  This bus service receives no reimbursement from the state and is too costly to maintain in this financial climate.

Trustees will consider the cost-reducing changes presented by Transportation along with several other budget considerations before adopting a final 2010-2011 school year budget in June.

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