Fort Bend Independent School District NEWS RELEASE FROM COMMUNITY RELATIONS Nancy Porter, Director of Communications nancy.porter@fortbendisd.com    281.634.1100

**  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  **

District announces new cost-saving transportation measures including a change in school start/stop times for elementary and middle school

FORT BEND ISD — The district continues to analyze data from every service area to determine all available options to eliminate a proposed $20 million deficit and produce a balanced budget for the 2010-2011 school year.  At a budget workshop held earlier this month, Ben Copeland, Chief Auxiliary Services Officer, presented Trustees with several strategies that collectively would reduce bus transportation costs.  Cost-saving strategies presented that will be implemented with the start of the 2010-2011 school year include:

• Shifting bell schedules to improve routing efficiency between bus runs:  Effective beginning with the 2010-2011 school year, the elementary start/stop time will change to 8:10 am – 3:10 pm, from the current 8:00 am - 3:00 pm; the middle school start/stop time will change to 8:55 am – 3:55 pm from the current 8:50 am - 3:50 pm; and, there will 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.    

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