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Board weighs transportation study to control rising costs while protecting UPK access
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Summary
Board members urged a consultant-led route analysis to find transportation efficiencies and reduce duplicate runs as UPK expands; the superintendent warned changes must not reduce UPK access, and the district plans summer audits and a June transportation forum with neighboring districts.
Board members spent a substantial portion of the April 14 workshop pressing for a transportation route-analysis aimed at eliminating duplicative runs, reducing costs and informing potential fleet decisions.
A board member suggested placing full-day UPK students on existing K–5 runs where feasible to avoid creating extra runs. “Can we put those UPK kiddos on the K to 5 runs to eliminate runs that way and save funds that way?” the member asked.
Budget presenter Christine Youngberg and Superintendent Mr. Adams acknowledged the idea’s potential savings but warned of trade-offs. Mr. Adams said limiting transportation could reduce UPK enrollment and have staffing implications: “If it prevents us from having students in UPK, that possibly takes that number of students who are at UPK down, which would be a staff impact too.”
The board and administration agreed a consultant study would deliver route-level data the district lacks. Christine said consultants “have the data we don't” and that a study could identify where runs can be combined; members asked that the study produce actionable steps before the next budget year to avoid short-term staffing cuts.
The district is planning additional steps: a summer consultant engagement, a transportation-committee ridership audit (with a follow-up comparison), and participation in a June 18 regional transportation forum hosted by Erie 1 to share ideas with districts that both contract and run their own bus fleets.
Board members emphasized balancing cost containment with access for the district’s youngest learners, and requested that any consultant work explicitly address UPK access and produce near-term recommendations that the board can act on before next school year.
