District staff favor adjusting school start times to reduce transportation costs by about $2.8 million

An agency official and district presenters outlined a plan to reduce costs in the district's student transportation system, saying the current $12,900,000 annual model is no longer sustainable.

"During our recent community forums, transportation stood out as 1 of the most important issues to the families in our district," an agency official said, citing community feedback as central to the district's review.

District presenters described three options to curb costs: eliminate high school transportation (estimated savings $7,100,000); adopt a 2‑mile walk zone for high schools (estimated savings $4,000,000); or eliminate high school transportation and expand elementary walk zones to 2 miles (estimated savings $10 million to $11,000,000). The presenters said the community generally resisted deep cuts to transportation.

When asked to choose, nearly 60% of respondents preferred adjusting school start and end times as the efficiency measure. Presenters said that change would reduce routes from 118 to 88 and lower annual costs from $12,900,000 to approximately $10,100,000, producing about $2,800,000 in savings while preserving transportation access for students.

Presenters framed the adjusted start‑time option as the most balanced approach, saying it reflects both fiscal responsibility and the feedback the district received: "It's not about doing less. It's about working smarter so we can sustain our system for the future," one presenter said.

Staff directed listeners to tps.org for additional details and noted other segments explain the broader transformational plan.

The district did not announce a formal decision or a timeline for implementation during this presentation; no motions or votes were recorded in the transcript.