FACT SHEET: TRANSPORTATION & BELL TIMES

Fact Sheet: Transportation & Bell Times

MPS is committed to structurally balancing its revenues and expenses by school year 2019-20. This means taking a hard look at where it can cut back on spending. Some reasons for the budget deficits are complex, but they include:

• Unfunded or underfunded government mandates such as special education and English Language Learner services
• Salary and Cost of Living Increases
• Enrollment declines
• Levels of transportation service
• Inflation

The Inefficiency: Current Start Times

• 29 different start times for 68 schools
• 21 schools with regular education bussing have start times between 7:30 a.m. – 8:05 a.m.
• Only 6 schools have start times after 9:30 a.m.
• Imbalance means 78 extra buses needed for rush hour but not later in the morning
• To balance this more schools need to shift closer to 9:30 a.m. tier
• Getting multiple, extended runs from one bus is where cost savings come
• Fewer buses on longer shifts means less fuel and maintenance, less driver turnover and a more stable driver workforce. More consistent drivers forge better relationships with students and results in safer buses

Transportation Savings

• $2M savings for proposed bell time changes effective FY2018-19; see next page for the list of proposed new bell times
• The goal is to keep changes in start/end  times to no more than one hour
• 4 out of 20 schools have a 70-minute change
• Input gathered from:
  • District Parent Advisory Council
  • Special Education Advisory Council
  • Bell Time Committee (department leaders; school principals)

Did you know?

• 70% of MPS’ 35,717 students receive district transportation.
• More than 380 buses are needed to transport students.
• There are 180 bus routes with over 3,680 runs; a bus “run” is between a home stop and school while a “route” is a compilation of runs.
• Annually, over 6 million miles are traveled to/from school and activities.
• The median annual transportation cost by school is $494,000.
• The transportation cost per student is:
  • $998 for regular education
  • $4,255 for special education
  • $3,310 for homeless/highly mobile

Budget Timeline 2018

The proposed start/end time changes will be voted on by the Board of Education as part of its overall budget approval process. The timeline for adopting the 2018-19 budget is below: 

• Jan. 25: Board of Education Finance Committee presented with bell times recommendations
• Feb. 13: Board of Education hears update an overall FY2018-19 budget recommendation
• April/May 2018: Board of Education reviews update of FY2018-19  budget
• June 2018: Board votes on final FY2018-19 budget

Proposed New School Start/End Times for the 2018-2019 School Year

These bell times were approved by the Board of Education on June 12, 2018. They take effect with the 2018-2019 school year. 

The chart below outlines the proposed changes to 20 school start and end times (bell times). A PDF version of this list is also provided along with an FAQ on why these changes to bell times are being proposed.