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Transportation costs rise; district plans rolling bus replacements and flags growing nonpublic transportation demand
Summary
The administration proposed a 2.2% increase to transportation spending, plans a five‑bus purchase/lease ($825,000), and said nonpublic student transportation counts rose from 702 to 3,516 over a decade; daily district ridership is ~13,666.
Doering (speaker 11) presented transportation details tied to the tentative budget, noting a proposed increase of about 2.2% (≈$452,000) driven by contractual salaries, special education transportation, and increased aid‑in‑lieu obligations for nonpublic students.
He said the district plans a rolling replacement/lease program and proposed purchasing five big buses through a lease for roughly $825,000 for 2026–27. Doering said 27 buses will need replacement within five years (14 large buses, 13 minibuses) and emphasized a methodical multi‑year replacement plan to avoid sudden spikes in spending.
Doering also called attention to long‑term growth in nonpublic transportation: he said the number of nonpublic students for aid‑in‑lieu purposes rose over the last decade from 702 to 3,516. He contrasted that figure with the district's total daily ridership number of about 13,666 students, and explained that state reimbursement covers a high share of the aid‑in‑lieu cost in typical cases but that first‑year additions (after Oct. 15 reporting) can cause local exposure before reimbursement arrives.
Board members asked clarifying questions about transported counts and expected replacements. The administration said they budget conservatively and that the state currently funds nearly 95% of aid‑in‑lieu costs under the cited reimbursement model.
