INDIANAPOLIS - School districts with budgets in the red are seeing big yellow school buses as a way to save big money.
School districts are cutting hundreds or even millions of dollars from transportation budgets, which leaves parents and students paying a price.
Children in many school districts will walk further to catch a bus. There will be fewer buses to ride and the ride to school will be longer.
Nowhere in the state are the cutbacks more extreme than they are in Franklin Township.
Franklin Township parents will pay almost $500 for just one child to ride the school bus. Although additional children receive a discount, the bill for a family with three kids will total $920.
Sandy Shoaf has three children. "I can't afford it. I can't afford $165 a month," said Shoaf. "I cannot do it, so for me that is going to mean car pooling. I've already called friends and family and said 'what can we do?'"
School administrators say they have no money and no choice. Instead of parking the buses, they are giving families a pay-to-ride option.
The Central Indiana Educational Service Center, a non-profit co-op of local school districts, took over Franklin Township's transportation system.
Dr. Mary Ann Dewan of CIESC told us, "We never thought we would be charging parents for transportation." But now that they are, Dr. Dewan says other schools are already asking about how the system works and how they might save money.
"If things don't change, in particular in their transportation funds, they will be forced to look at other options, consolidation of services or fee for service," said Dewan.
Decatur Township is among the school districts considering their options. By cutting nearly $2 million from the bus system, the superintendent will anger some parents.
Donald Stinson, Decatur Township School Superintendent, says the cuts will hurt. "It is going to be a major inconvenience for our parents from what they've had in the past," he said.
There will be no more picking children up at their homes. They will be walking and waiting on street corners, riding fewer buses that will take longer to get to school. There will be no more delivering children to day care facilities at the end of the day.
Superintendent Stinson says their work is cut out for them." We are going to have to work very very hard to get people to understand why, and understand that this is just a necessity to provide a service instead of eliminating a service."
Back in Franklin Township, administrators figure about half of the 4,000 students riding buses last year will pay to ride them this year.
The rest will walk, ride bikes, use parent carpools, or drive themselves.
Decatur Township created a $15 transportation fee for students participating in sports, band and other activities.
Avon is typical example of a district making minor changes. The school system is eliminating a few buses, and consolidating routes to save money.
