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District outlines hub model for Access transportation to save costs; parents and unions press for alternatives
Summary
PPS presented a hub-routing proposal for Access (specialized) transportation that could yield roughly $1 million in savings (pre-reimbursement); full elimination of Access routes would yield ~$1.5M. Staff outlined potential trade-offs — fewer contracted bus monitors, reduced student-travel-equity allocations, and less overtime for campus supervisors — and sought more feedback from principals and families.
District transportation staff returned to the board with a revised hub-routing proposal intended to preserve service while reducing costs. The hub model consolidates stops so Access routes service centralized pickup points rather than multiple school-level stops.
District staff said eliminating Access routes entirely would yield approximately $1.5 million in pre-reimbursement savings, while the proposed hub model could yield roughly $1 million with a $500,000 shortfall that would require trade-offs elsewhere in the budget. Proposed savings ideas included reducing contracted student-behavior monitors on buses (estimated savings ~$150,000), cutting the student travel equity allocation where historical underuse reduced expenditures (estimated ~$130,000), and reducing overtime for campus supervisor associates for evening athletics and events (part of broader reallocation totaling roughly $440,000 in proposals).
Families and the Access community provided survey feedback (nearly 300 responses cited) used to refine stop locations; staff said some requests are infeasible because of state/Trimet pass rules. Board members asked staff to return with more detailed routing data and to consult principals and after-school providers about how changes could affect program slots. Several directors emphasized that any change will involve trade-offs that disproportionately affect particular students and staff and requested follow-up engagement before final budget decisions.
