Mount Vernon board hears plan to cut transportation costs by consolidating stops, reassigning routes

Mount Vernon, N.Y. — A transportation consultant told the Mount Vernon City School District Board of Education at its Aug. 5 work session that rerouting special-education trips, consolidating stops and moving route design in-house could reduce the number of buses the district uses and lower transportation costs.

The plan could affect special-education students and families across the district. Larry Lee Fiber, the consultant, said his review of last year’s routes showed heavy fragmentation: about 600 special-education students rode more than 78 bus trips, often averaging fewer than eight students per vehicle on buses with 16-student capacity. "The most dangerous thing any school bus does is make a bus stop," Fiber said, urging consideration of corner or group stops to shorten routes and improve safety.

District leaders framed the discussion as a response to a transportation budget that exceeded available funds. Dr. Strickland, the district superintendent, said families must update address records so routing work can be based on current data: "Please bring your leases or your phone bills and things of that nature and get your addresses updated," he said, adding that accurate information is required to guarantee transportation on the first day of school.

Why it matters: Transportation is one of the district’s largest…