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Meeting Date:
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4/19/2018 - 6:30 PM
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Category:
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Report of the Committee on Strategic Planning and Budget
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Type:
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Action
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Subject:
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1. Action on a Request to Approve Transportation Strategies to Reduce Expenditures and Increase Efficiencies
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Strategic Plan Compatibility Statement:
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Goal 3 Effective and Efficient Operations
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Attachments
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Proposed Transportation Changes FY19
Community Input
Potential Long Term Transportation Strategies
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File Attachment:
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Background:
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Milwaukee Public Schools provides transportation services to approximately 54,000 students annually for district, suburban, and private school students who live in the city of Milwaukee or, if they participate in specialty programs such as Chapter 220, Homeless Education or Foster Placement Network Programs, in surrounding municipalities. The district also provides services for a variety of district-sponsored programs such as Head Start; Night School & GED; Interscholastic Athletics; The Community Assessment and Training Program (CATP); Learning Journeys, and Special Olympics.
Chapter 121.54 of the Wisconsin Statutes spells out the provisions under which the school board of each district shall provide for the transportation of pupils, including establishment, administration, and scheduling of school bus routes. MPS Administrative Policy 4.04 further states that the Milwaukee Public Schools’ Transportation Services is to provide safe, adequate, efficient, and economical service to all eligible Milwaukee-resident students.
As part of the FY19 budget planning process, the administration is proposing transportation changes. These actions also reinforce a prior informational item presented to the board in 2015 (in response to 1415R-005) as it pertained to the Establishment of a Regional Transportation System. The following is an overview of the changes to be considered for the FY19 school year:
1) Revise All Attendance Area Elementary School Transportation Regions to reflect a (3) mile transportation zone that surround the school itself.
2) Revise District’s Citywide Specialty School Transportation Status for schools between 10% and 15% enrollment greater than 7 miles from the school. *This will require further analysis on the impacts to schools that restrict enrollment entry after 1st grade.
3) Revise District’s Arts Schools Transportation Region to mirror Montessori’s region at 5 mile zone.
4) Revise service type for any transportation eligible High School student over 7 miles from their enrolled school to City Bus.
Potential long-term strategies for FY20 and beyond have also been included for informational purposes. Any changes to be considered for FY20 or beyond will be brought back to the Board for approval at a later time.
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Fiscal Impact Statement:
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The fiscal impact of the administration’s proposed actions depends on the range of implemented options. The potential savings range from $100,000 to $3,000,000 for FY19. The potential fiscal impact for any transportation considerations for FY20 or beyond provided as an information item range from $7,000,000 to $10,000,000 in transportation savings.
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Implementation and Assessment Plan
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The Administration will implement the (4) transportation changes proposed, if approved, for the FY19 school year. In addition to these proposed changes, the Administration will also be revising existing standard operating procedures for isolate transportation needs to assist in further reduction of transportation expenditures. Diligent review and reassignment of isolate transportation situations can reduce transportation expenditures dramatically. That would include monitoring trending on homeless transportation, special education placements and program manipulations, and other special program placement situations that run contrary to the school’s traditional transportation policy (eg. head start or esl/bilingual needs).
Reduction of the number of high cost arrangements via a robust review process would translate into at least partial cost reductions. Any student transported over 7 miles shall be subject to a formal and appropriate administrative review and approval prior to busing being considered unless the situation involves attending a citywide or specialty school and again prior to the start of a new school year.
The Administration will also prepare any necessary follow-up on the informational item presented for potential long term transportation changes being presented at this time for review.
Should the Board adopt the administration’s proposed actions, the administration will begin to implement the actions according to the following schedule:
• FY19 actions: April 2018 – August 2018
• FY20 information: The Administration will report back to the Board in August, 2018
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Recommendation:
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Your Committee recommends that the Board approve transportation proposal #1 and hold transportation proposals #2, #3, and #4 at the Committee level until further analysis of the proposals can be conducted.
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Approvals:
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Recommended By:
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Signed By:
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Jacqueline M. Mann, Ph.D. - Board Clerk/Chief Officer
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