Keller ISD has received a great deal of feedback following last week's announcement of the new pay-for-ride transportation system, after free regular bus service was no longer an option. Below is a list of answers to the most common questions the district has received.
Why is it going to cost to ride the bus now?
As publicized prior to the tax ratification election (TRE), Keller ISD had already cut $16 million from its budget for the 2011-12 school year prior to the State Legislature's reduction in public school funding. This was already on top of millions in cuts made over the past several years. Legislative action was estimated to cost the district an additional $15-17 million per year.
Rather than make even deeper cuts drastically effecting employees and student program offerings, KISD approached the community with the option for a 13 cent tax rate increase to generate an additional $16 million annually.
Among the well-publicized programs that were considered for elimination should the TRE not pass was regular transportation – transportation to and from school for students not in special education programs.
The majority of voters cast ballots against the tax increase, instructing the district and Board of Trustees that the community would prefer to no longer pay for those positions, services and programs and instead rather KISD continue to tighten its belt.
With the failure of the TRE, it was understood that transportation would be cut, however the Board asked the district to move forward with providing an option for families that needed to take advantage of bus service in which they could pay an additional fee that would offset the cost of transportation. This took place at the Board's regular meeting in late June and at its July 18 meeting, the administration presented greater details to the Board including how the system would work and what it would cost.
The Board voiced its approval for the system which included discounted fares for families with multiple student riders, and for low-income families that have students who qualify for free/reduced lunches.
How much is it going to cost to ride the bus?
The cost for the first semester has been set at $185 per semester per student. If a family has any additional student riders, each additional student will be $135 per semester. Students who qualify for free/reduced lunches can ride for $100 per semester.
The per-semester fee is due up-front before the start of school on August 22.
Are there other payment options?
Keller ISD's transportation partner Durham has worked with its technology partner Radiant Systems to allow for a month-to-month service charge. Monthly rates are as follows:
- Regular student: $48 per month
- Additional students in the same family: $36 per month
- Students who qualify for free/reduced lunch: $27 per month
Each semester will be broken down into four monthly increments. The payment for month-to-month is slightly greater over the course of the semester than the up-front, per-semester cost, however this is due simply to the additional processing fees incurred.
Can I just pay on a ride-to-ride basis?
No. At this time the pay-for-ride system will operate in much the same way as a city bus pass. Families will pay up-front for a pass – either monthly or by the semester – and students will ride as they need.
Durham Transportation has worked diligently with its corporate partners to be able to provide as affordable a service as possible for the families of KISD. While changes may be made to the system in the future, the program is setup as it is to provide the lowest cost possible.
In order for the District to not supplement the entire cost of the bus, Durham Transportation must have at least 50 riders on each tier of the bus route, for a total of 100 bus riders, to cover the cost. If daily payment is allowed, Durham cannot be assured that the cost is covered.
Why did the Board wait until the last minute to make this decision?
During the entire budget process, budget cuts in transportation were publicized as a very real possibility. (See Tier I and Tier II Budget Cut Listings)
The Board and administration moved forward with a pay-for-ride transportation system only as an alternative to having no transportation option at all.
With voters' rejection of the TRE in June, transportation was considered completely cut, except for the possibility of a fare-based system. In essence, as of the election results on June 18, Keller ISD families should have understood that free transportation was no longer going to be an option.
June was the earliest the Board could have called for the tax ratification election. It was initially suggested that a fall election, possibly in September, would be the easiest time to hold the election. However, if a fall election had failed, the district would be forced to cut services and programs that were already in progress for the 2011-12 school year and lay off teachers and staff that were already a month into their work on campuses. Rather than subject students to those drastic changes while the school year was taking place, Trustees and administrators pressed for the earliest possible election so they would have a clear idea of the budget they would have to operate under for the coming school year.
Why was transportation cut before athletics?
Cutting transportation saves the district approximately $1.5 million, after supplementing the pay-for-ride transportation program with an additional $500,000 to make it more affordable for multi-ride and low-income families.
Keller ISD's Athletics programs have also already been cut by more than $1.5 million including reducing coaching staff across the board which in turn has reduced the number of teams and thus the number of participation opportunities for students. Team budgets have been cut as well as additional programs and offerings including those at the KISD Natatorium.
Why was "Pay-for-Ride" implemented before "Pay-for-Play"?
Charging students a fixed fee for participating in athletics and fine arts was seriously considered as part of Keller ISD's 2011-12 budget cut process, however it was determined that such a program would not generate the significant income needed to address the severe budget cuts.
Keller ISD is blessed with a strong parental support system and tremendous booster clubs. So much of the cost of running KISD's athletics and fine arts extracurricular programs are already supplemented by these groups that setting up a pay-for-play system would actually generate less funding for those programs.
Won't charging to ride the bus negatively impact attendance?
Keller ISD remains committed to providing exceptional educational opportunities for all students. While the district understands that the lack of free transportation puts a greater burden on some of our families, it remains dedicated to making sure each student has the opportunity to learn.
Through the first two months of school, Keller ISD's enrollment is even higher than expected, and the attendance rates meet or exceed the same numbers from the first two weeks of school last year.
Was there really nothing left to cut before transportation?
Keller ISD's priority throughout the budget process has been to keep cuts as far away from the classroom as possible. The majority of positions that have been reduced or cut have come at the administrative and operational levels. Program reductions have centered around extracurricular offerings. Student-to-teacher ratios will be slightly higher on average by two students per teacher depending on the grade level.
Last fall, Keller ISD was recognized by the State Comptroller's Office as one of only 43districts in Texas to receive the highest award for financial efficiency – the only district in Tarrant County – meaning the district's budget was already one of the leanest before it cut the first $16 million from the budget. In fact, that first $16 million in reductions was only necessary because KISD was so efficient when the state "cut" property tax rates in 2006 by capping school district maintenance and operations tax rates at the current maximum of $1.04. Prior to that, the maximum was $1.50, and while many neighboring districts were set at that ceiling, KISD's M&O rate was $1.43. Due to that, the state's new funding formula determined that we did not need as much state funding as some neighboring districts, hence the issue today with is target student revenue, in which Keller ISD receives less funding per student than most surrounding districts. That remains the district's funding situation despite the fact that KISD is a fast-growth district and we've added more than 6,000 students and eight campuses in the past five years.
Keller ISD, already with a lean budget, has cut millions in each of the last several years to get even more and more efficient. The first $16 million cut prior to legislative action was one of the greatest cuts we have faced yet. With the state cuts to public education funding, KISD was left with few decisions but to cut even deeper or raise additional revenue. The community voted in favor of deeper cuts and unfortunately free transportation was one of many services the district had to make the difficult task of parting with.
How does the Board have the nerve to do something like this?
Keller ISD's Board of Trustees is a body of seven community members elected to three-year terms. The Trustees are elected to represent the students, families, business owners, and tax payers that live within the district. Each spring voters head to the polls to elect or reelect 2-3 Trustees. They are representatives of the community, elected by the community. They are not paid for their services and they take on the duties of serving as a Trustee while also carrying full-time jobs and supporting their families.
Like the Board of any corporation, KISD's Board of Trustees is tasked with setting the direction for the organization and employing the people best equipped to lead the district.
Of the current Trustees, five currently have students in the district, and the two that do not have both formerly been employed by the district. All seven pay the same school tax rate as the members of the community they represent and they are subject to any decisions they make as are any other individual within KISD.
Despite having other responsibilities outside of their Board duties, each of them have committed to multiple budget workshop meetings each month over the past year, in addition to their monthly regular meetings. They have carefully studied the budget situation and weighed the district's various options for budget reductions, constantly giving direction to administrators to look at all options that will impact as few students as possible.
How can families be expected to pay for bus service with all the other costs associated with sending children to school (supplies, fees, etc.)?
The pay-for-ride bus system is an alternative to having no bus transportation at all. Those not wishing to take part in the program do not have to pay for it. Those that need to use daily transportation and have concerns about being able to afford it should contact our Transportation Department. Administrators will be happy to work with families to make sure that students are able to make it to school safely, every day and on time.
Isn't the District legally obligated to provide transportation for students?
Keller ISD is not legally responsible for providing transportation to most students. The District is under a legal requirement to provide transportation to special education students when their individual plans indicate that transportation is necessary for the student to access the educational environment. There are no laws that require public schools to transport any other students.
How can you take away transportation when sidewalks and other infrastructure do not provide a safe alternative?
Keller ISD cannot construct sidewalks or other infrastructure including road improvements except on the right-of-way of our campuses and other properties the district owns. Those types of improvements are the responsibility of, and funded by, the respective cities or Tarrant County. While Keller ISD works closely with these other government agencies to see that the needs of the district's students are voiced, it is ultimately up to those municipalities to assure that they are met.
How can you build multi-million dollar buildings but not fund transportation?
A common misconception regarding Texas public school funding is that all of the money the district spends comes from a single source.
Keller ISD tax payers actually have two rates they pay to education: a maintenance and operations (M&O) rate and an interest and sinking (I&S) – or debt service – rate.
The M&O rate funds the daily operations of the district. This accounts for not only electricity and other utilities, but supplies, programs, services and KISD's biggest expense, employee salaries. This is the portion of the budget that has been cut by more than $20 million for the upcoming school year and can no longer fund transportation.
The I&S rate funds the district's debt. New construction, renovations and some other maintenance and equipment refreshes are paid for through the selling of bonds, the decision of which is occasionally brought before the community for a vote in a Bond Election. The funds raised in a Bond Election cannot go to support the M&O budget.
Keller ISD is a fast-growth district and in the past 10 years, the district has constructed 21 new schools – a rate of more than two new schools per year. Each of these campuses has been paid for through the sale of bonds, and each sale of bonds has been approved by Keller ISD voters.
Residents often voice concerns about a tax rate higher than in neighboring districts, however this is directly attributed to a higher I&S rate than districts in the area that are either already established or are growing at a slower rate and thus are not currently building at the rate KISD is.
Cutting transportation should have been a last resort.
In essence, cutting transportation, as well as the rest of the $13 million in cuts, is a last resort of KISD. Anything cut at this point will have a direct and significant impact on the way education is delivered in the district. Cutting $2 million in teachers or staff would adversely affect even more students.
Keller ISD asked district's voters on June 18 whether they would prefer the district continue to pay for these programs or services or whether they should be cut. The majority of voters favored cutting the programs over continuing to pay for them and the Administration and Board took action accordingly.
Previously, regular bus service was not available if we lived within two miles of our campus. Will Pay-for-Ride system be available to families inside a two-mile radius from their campus?
Yes, the program will be available to students that live within two miles of their campus, as long as Keller ISD has the number of families paying to help the District cover the cost of the bus, or if the District is able to place bus stops inside the two-mile radius to fill gaps for those buses running outside of two miles.
Also, students that attend campuses that have previously had no busing could also now receive the services if there is enough need and interest to cover the costs of an additional bus, or if Durham Transportation can add bus stops on existing routes that still have space available.