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Tacoma schools say statetransportation formula left district $3 million short this year
Summary
District finance staff told the school board the STARS transportation funding formula produced $15.8 million for 2024-25, about $1 million less than last year and roughly $3 million below the district's budgeted estimate, forcing projected shortfalls for operations contracted to First Student.
Carrie Kaufman, presenting the district's transportation funding report, told the Tacoma School Board on March 27 that the state's Students Transportation Allocation Reporting System (STARS) produced $15.8 million for the district for the 2024-25 year.
Kaufman said that figure is roughly $1 million less than what the district received the previous year and about $3 million below the district's budget forecast. "We were showing about a 4% increase and we thought we were going to be doing pretty good," Kaufman said. "The reality is that we're going to receive $15,800,000.0. So, let that sink for a second. It's a million dollars less than last year."
The drop comes despite local steps the district took to increase efficiency and…
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