Board hears scale of transportation costs; adding one-mile routes would roughly double bus budget, officials say

Plano ISD administrators told trustees Tuesday that transportation remains a significant funding pressure even after state school-finance changes in House Bill 2. Deputy or district business leadership estimated that moving from a two-mile general-education bus eligibility to a one-mile eligibility within the district would add roughly 80 to 100 routes. That expansion would require an estimated $13.2 million in bus purchases and roughly $7.2 million in recurring annual operating costs — about $20.4 million the first year, staff said. Chief financial staff also summarized the district’s position after House Bill 2: the district received approximately $27 million in new formula funding, but significant gaps remain, especially in special-education intensity funding, transportation and safety/security. Administrators said the district’s overall deficit estimate decreased from about $32 million to $7.8 million after HB 2 but stressed large line-item gaps remain. Why it matters: Transportation is among the largest operational cost areas for a large suburban district. Trustees emphasized the policy trade-offs: each dollar spent to expand busing is a dollar not available for classroom uses. Trustee Tara Lance told the public that the board had intentionally adopted TEA-recommended transport guidelines to balance equity, transparency and budget constraints. Public-facing detail: Trustees asked staff for a specific estimate on the cost to bus everyone within one mile; the conservative estimate presented was about 80 additional routes, $13.2 million in new buses and about $7.2 million in extra annual operating costs. Staff noted the expansion would likely require a bond election to purchase enough buses. Board direction: Trustees asked staff to keep communicating the trade-offs to the community and to post information on the transportation web pages. Staff said they have posted route changes, timelines and FAQs on the district transportation website and are answering public questions through the district’s communications channels. Ending: The district urged community members to review the transportation pages and to submit specific follow-up questions through the district’s communication channels.