Transportation Task Force Recommendations

Here are the recommendations from the blue-ribbon committee put together to serve as a Transportation Task Force for Seattle Public Schools.

Here's the short version:

Conclusion

The Taskforce commends the District for desiring to reduce student transportation costs in order to protect classroom funding. The implementation of several of the recommendations by the District has started this process. District staff is applauded for initiating improvements such as:

• Analyzing ridership, routes, cab use, and capacity Planning 2012-2013 routes to minimize cab and bus use

• Planning to re-route buses after actual (instead of potential) ridership is known

• Monitoring and reporting actual costs per student transported

• Changing arrive/departure times at six schools to improve efficiency and control costs

• Reviewed Special Education IEPs to verify appropriate transportation services were enumerated

Investment Required

Additional progress, however, requires the District to invest in staff and in management tools – investments that will more than pay for themselves. Investments include the:

• Implementation of training and ongoing professional development of transportation staff;

• Restoring the amount of transportation staff;

• Purchase and support of tracking software;

• Resumption of timely software upgrades; and

• Automating on-time performance reports.

Until these investments are implemented, controlling student transportation costs remains problematic.