CFO presents bell-schedule options; board asks staff for cost-neutral scenarios and community input

Poudre School District Chief Financial Officer Dave Montoya updated the board Jan. 28 on the district’s ongoing study of bell schedules and possible changes to school start times. Montoya presented modeled scenarios for 2- and 3-tier transportation systems and the potential effects on bus routes, driver needs and operating costs; the board did not vote but directed staff to run additional analyses and seek community input.

Background and what was done: Montoya said the district converted last year from a largely nonstandard, two-tier routing pattern to a consolidated three-tier model to address driver shortages and operating costs. "We went from about 123 routes down to 113 routes," he said, describing the August 2024 implementation that produced operational savings and reduced overtime and charter bus use. Montoya said the net savings included roughly $1.1 million in the budget and that one route currently costs about $115,000 (labor, mileage and operating costs).

Montoya described constraints the district still faces: an ongoing driver shortage (he reported being short about six drivers at the time of the meeting), an aging fleet with an average bus age of about 15 years, and supply-chain delays affecting bus…