Budgeting for Special Needs Transportation

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Budgeting for Special Needs Transportation

• Derek Graham
• Section Chief, Transportation Services
• North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
• George Horne
• Southeast Regional Manager
• Pupil Transportation Safety Institute, Inc.

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Special Needs Transportation Study(Transportation
of Exceptional Children)

• Authorized by the North Carolina General Assembly
• Conducted by the Pupil Transportation Safety
  Institute

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Budgeting for Special Needs Transportation at the
Local Level

• Impacted by local, state and federal funding

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North Carolina - State Funding

• Most Transportation Funding from the state
• Block Grant for ALL Transportation
• Based on Efficiency - Cost Per Student/ Buses Per
  Student
• Incentives
• Spend Less Money (most provided by state)
• Use Fewer Buses (replaced by state)

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How the Pot is Divided

• Special Needs Funding must be used for monitors
• Transportation Funding is used for drivers,
  operations

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Efficiency Ratings

• Site Characteristics to Compare All Districts
• Pupil Density (students transported per road
  mile)
• Average distance of students to School
• Street Network
• Buses Used for Special Needs

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Definite Factor in Budgeting and Efficiency

• Special Needs Transportation is more expensive
  than other transportation
• Anyone surprised?

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Special Needs Buses Operated
100
Unadjusted Efficiency Ratings
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Special Needs Buses Operated
100
ADJUSTED Efficiency Ratings
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Key Factors in Budgeting

• Program Location
• Assignment of Students to Special Transportation
• Contracts - Most Excpensive
• Buses serving primarily students in special
  programs - Expensive
• Mainstream on regular bus routes - least
  expensive
• Analyze Trends in Exceptionalities

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Routing and Scheduling

• Impacts fuel costs
• Impacts driver costs
• Impacts student ride times

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Proper Budgeting Means Getting a Hand on Routing
and Scheduling!
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Districts should use computerized routing to its
fullest

• That TIMS expand its records to include discrete
  trips, and not just runs.
• That TIMS be enhanced to optimize special ed
  routes. (Difficult!)
• That TIMS gather exceptionality and Pre-k
  designations in its system to assist in
  establishing efficient EC routes and to assist
  LEAs in program placement decisions.
• Problem Student information Systems are moving
  away from categorizing students with
  exceptionalities

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Computerized routing

• Expand its records to include all contracted
  transportation passengers, locations, and routes
  for vehicles carrying more than one passenger.
• This allows a district to gain more control of
  the costs being expended for contracts

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Financial data be collected and disseminated
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Costs specific to Special Ed and regular bus
transportation

• Information for all contract vehicles including
  vehicle type, mileage, and ridership.
• Another Catch-22 - How do we collect good data on
  special ed transportation vs. regular
  transportation when we are trying hard to
  mainstream.

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Even mainstreamed transportation is more costly
when transporting children with special needs

• Need for monitors
• Reduced bus capacities for wheel chairs
• How best to capture this?

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Consider efficiency factors relative to
transporting children with special needs

• Passenger characteristics as a measure of full
  busload, shorter route times, the ability to
  maintain equitable length of instructional day,
  and the capacity to absorb an increase in special
  population within the LEA, Severity of students
  exceptionality as it impacts equipment and
  staffing as well as the sparcity of students with
  that disability within the county.

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Incentives to move children with special needs to
regular buses
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• Progressive funding and available during the
  year to deal with new EC when justified through a
  larger contingency fund. Funding for bus
  attendants become a DPI expense (with
  commensurate funding to the Transportation
  Division) so attendants can be available when
  transportation need dictates, including when an
  attendant is needed for support to move EC to
  regular buses.

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• Establish a component within the current budget
  rating formula that rewards using FMVSS school
  buses for EC transportation either through the
  LEA or contractor.

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7. Continue system of reimbursement for parent
transport when indicated on the IEP as an
appropriate related service
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8. Continue system of reimbursement for parent
transport when it is acceptable to the parent and
less expensive bus transportation is not
currently available to serve the child.
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13. Regular audits of LEAs must review steps
taken by the LEA, including but not limited to
revising daily school schedules, staggering
school starting and ending times, reducing
shuttles if feasible, adding classes for
exceptional children, relocating classes for
exceptional children, adding buses.
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Topics of Discussion

• I. Identifying key elements in the budgetary
  process
• II. Putting these elements to use for children

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I. Key Elements in the Budgetary Process

• A. Identifying information requirements
• B. Collecting and compiling data
• C. Identifying trends
• D. Identifying controllable factors that affect
  costs
• E. Evaluating alternatives
• F. Submitting a proposal
• G. Managing the results

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A. Identifying Information Requirements

• Who must be convinced?
• How much does who know?
• Therefore, what must you describe?
• When must you present the information?

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B. Collecting and Compiling Data

• What data already exists?
• What additional data is required?
• What are your sources of data?
• Will your efforts be supported?
• Who will compile the results and convert it into
  usable information?
• When does the process need to take place?

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C. Identifying Trends

• What changes have occurred?
• What is the cause of the changes?
• What is the fiscal impact of these changes?
• Can trends be changed by local decisions?
• How will changes effect educational outcomes?

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D. Identifying Controllable Factors That Affect
Costs

• Equipment purchases?
• Site locations?
• Daily school schedules?
• Outsourcing?
• LRTE (least restrictive transportation
  environment)?
• Inclusion?
• Routing efficiency?

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E. Evaluating Alternatives

• Will procedural changes be required?
• Will policy changes be required?
• How much of a sell is necessary?
• What will be the fiscal impact of alternatives?

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F. Submitting a Proposal

• Have you identified supporters of your proposal?
• What will be a convincing presentation format?
• Have you included all essential data and
  information?
• Who should make the presentation?

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G. Managing the Results

• Do you have a plan to deal with less than you
  requested?
• Do children come first in the plan?
• Have you included legal and regulatory
  requirements in the plan?
• Have you documented your efforts?

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II. Putting These Elements to Use for Children

• When daily school schedules can be modified to
  increase efficiency without compromising safety,
  do it!
• When children without disabilities and children
  with disabilities can be commingled on buses, do
  it!
• When program sites can be moved to locations
  closer to the homes of participants, do it!

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II. Putting These Elements to Use for Children
(contd.)

• When drivers and attendants work days can be
  increased to enhance compensation and benefits,
  do it!
• When you discover funding sources previously
  unused in your school district and you want to
  apply for these funds, do it!
• When others tell you It cant be done, and you
  know it can, do it!

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Miscellaneous Thoughts Before Closing

• 1. Compile annual student evaluation results
• No special education required
• Special education required
• Exceptionalities by age (for age-appropriate
  placement)
• Special transportation required
• Due to impairment
• Due to placement (class location)

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Miscellaneous Thoughts Before Closing

• 2. Record and review annual costs for special
  transportation, as well as for regular
  transportation
• Vehicle purchases
• Occupant restraint/protection equipment purchases
• Maintenance and daily operational costs
• Special needs specific training and related costs
• Alternate modes of transportation, contracted
  services, etc.

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Miscellaneous Thoughts Before Closing

• 3. Dont discriminate! Remember the other
  special transportation that might carry a large
  price tag after-school activities, shuttles to
  and from vocational and other magnet programs,
  ESOL, etc. Keep separate records for these, too.

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Budgeting for Special Needs Transportation An
Oxymoron?

• ONLY IF YOU MAKE IT SO!

Remember the Little Engine.