Plano ISD staff outline hazardous-roadway map update, recommend discontinuing or restructuring fare busing

Plano ISD transportation staff presented an updated hazardous-roadway evaluation and a review of the district's fare-busing program at the board's Jan. 21 meeting, telling trustees the district will see both route reductions and new route needs after maps are updated under TASBO and TEA guidelines.

Chief of Business Services Steve Ewing told the board that TASBO's 2023 study recommended Plano ISD update its hazardous-roadway plan and file a revised plan with the Texas Education Agency so the district's maps and procedures align with state guidance. "TASBO, Texas Association of School Business Officials', completes a study of transportation department back in 2023. And from that, a recommendation was made that the district should consider updating its hazardous roadway plan and file the revised plan with TEA," Ewing said.

Why it matters: transportation is one of the district's largest recurring costs. Staff said the current transportation budget is roughly $20.6 million, including about $2.6 million in fuel and $17.1 million in personnel costs, and that TEA's current transportation alignment funding covers only about $1.5 million. Staff estimated a roughly $19.1 million gap between projected costs and state/local allotments.

What staff presented and the numbers involved - Current system: roughly 210 routes, 305 buses and 220 drivers (presented as the basis for the analysis). - Applying the TA/TEA hazardous-roadway guidelines led staff to identify 20 existing hazardous routes that would be discontinued and 3 new hazardous routes to add, for a net decrease of 17 hazardous routes; staff estimated that change would free the equivalent of about 11 driver assignments because drivers can cover multiple staggered routes. - Separately, campus retirements (identified for 2025-26) would add about 8 routes and an increase in bilingual program transportation would add about 15 routes; staff estimated those two changes together would require about 21 additional drivers (net +23 routes, +21 drivers for those items). - Fare busing: staff projected 13 routes (13 buses and drivers) currently operate as paid or "fare" busing. TASBO-style costing put the marginal expense of those routes at roughly $80,000 per route, or about $1,040,000 total. The district currently collects about $400,000 in fares (roughly 40% of the cost). Under that model, staff said the per-rider price would need to rise from about $500 to $1,154 per year for non-economically disadvantaged riders, and from $130 to $507 per year for economically disadvantaged riders, to cover full costs. - Combining all of the above (hazardous-route changes, campus retirements and bilingual-route growth, and discontinuing fare busing), staff estimated an overall net change of about minus 3 drivers after all adjustments.

Trustees asked for clarification on maps and walk zones. Vice President Dr. Lauren Tyra pressed staff to make the 2-mile walk-zone boundary visually clearer in public maps so families can distinguish "2-mile" busing eligibility from hazardous-route determinations. "You're only showing what would qualify or not qualify for hazardous busing," Tyra said, noting that households north of large highways may still be eligible for standard 2-mile-plus bussing even if not covered by the hazardous classification.

Trustee Jerry Chambers asked why the route count and driver count moved by different amounts; Ewing explained it is common for drivers to be assigned one to three routes in a day because of staggered elementary/middle/high school start times: "Bus drivers drive anywhere from 1 to 3 routes due to our staggered start times, elementary, middle, and high school," Ewing said.

Staff recommendations and next steps - Staff recommended trustees approve a final set of 2025-26 hazardous routes at a future meeting after map refinements and a communication plan. - Staff also recommended discontinuing the current fare-busing model as inequitable and costly, or restructuring it to a districtwide, equitable model; the board was told a full districtwide implementation would require many more routes and drivers and therefore large new costs. - Staff said they will return with a final plan, improved maps (with clearer 2-mile overlays and legend), and a timeline for communication to families and campuses.

What the presentation did not do: trustees did not vote to adopt any route changes during the Jan. 21 meeting. The item was informational and staff will bring a recommended 2025-26 hazardous-route plan to the board for action at a later date.

Background and standards cited - Ewing repeatedly cited TASBO's 2023 findings and TEA guidance (districts are advised to document hazardous areas by street and to include written instructions for students who cannot safely walk to campus). - Examples of features the district used in the hazardous definition included 4- or 6-lane roadways over 45 mph lacking pedestrian-activated signals, major arterials (US 75/Central Expressway, Dallas North Tollway, President George Bush Turnpike, State Highway 289/Preston Road), active railroad tracks and areas lacking sidewalks or safe walking paths.

Staff emphasized that cities' infrastructure changes over the last 15 years have reduced some hazards but produced new inequities and programmatic demands (for example, bilingual-program routing). Trustees asked staff to produce clearer public maps and to highlight student counts in each zone.

The board did not take action on Jan. 21; staff will return with a final hazardous-route plan and communication timeline.