School Officials Find Savings in New Bus Routes

The Regional School District 13 Board of Education approved a proposal Wednesday that is expected to save the district thousands of dollars in transportation costs next school year. The expected savings are the result of more efficient bus routes.

A review of the district's current bus route policy by Transportation Advisory Services in 2008 determined that savings could be achieved by reducing the number of bus stops.

The district will not release new bus stop/bus route information until later this summer, but here's the breakdown of the anticipated impact of the new bus route policy, by the numbers:

$47,000 - Cost savings to the district (fuel, maintenance, wear and tear)

313 - Miles less traveled by buses per day

56,340 - Miles less traveled by buses per year

297,660 - Miles traveled in total during the school year

8,800 - Gallons of fuel saved

6 hours, 25 minutes - Length of school day at all schools in RSD13 (Memorial School's day is currently 10 minutes longer, Lyman School's day is 5 minutes longer)

27% - Students picked up directly in front of their homes (the district has determined these stops are necessary for safety factors)

90% - Students picked up within three-tenths (0.3) of a mile or less from their home

2 - The maximum distance a student in grade 9-12 is required to walk to school or a bus stop (the max distance is 1 mile for K-3 and 1.5 miles for 4-8)

1.2 - The distance (in miles) two students walk to their bus stop, according to a summary of the plan

$40,000 - Amount reduced in the RSD13 2011-2012 budget in anticipation of transportation savings

The new transportation plan was reviewed over the course of several months by Region 13 Business Manager Ron Melnick, DATTCO Vice President Phil Johnson, Eileen Bengtson of Central Office and Karen Meiman, a parent. The recommendations were based on four criteria: safety, current student population, published bus policies and the current fleet of buses.