High Gas = Less Bus Stops for Schools

[Clandestino]

Well, Manny, is this what you wanted to happen with the price of gas going up? Think of the poor children who may have to cross extra streets to catch their bus.

School districts cut bus stops to save on gas

Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO — Faced with climbing gasoline prices, some Texas school districts are finding inventive ways to save fuel costs including two districts that have eliminated hundreds of bus stops.

The Judson School district has cut about 300 bus stops. And East Central School District has eliminated 187 stops.

Meanwhile, the Edgewood School District has encouraged bus drivers to conserve fuel by driving slow and coasting when possible. And the North East School District has invested in more maintenance of its 377 buses to ensure efficiency.

Schools don't pay as much for gasoline and diesel as motorists because they're exempt from state and federal taxes. But districts are still feeling the crunch.

"This is the most drastic I've ever seen it," said Nolan Anderson, executive director of transportation at the North East district.

Fuel costs in the North East School District will increase by 56 percent this year, Anderson estimated.

Other districts reported increases ranging from 8 percent to 36 percent.

Those estimates could increase because fuel costs are expected to increase, officials said.

The impact to the students in the case of Judson involves walking up to a block and a half to catch the bus. In the past, they have had to walk about a block to their bus stop, said Lee Iredale, Judson's director of transportation.

"I think it's reasonable," he said. "We also take into consideration known hazards: location of sex offenders ... large trees or shrubs that impact visibility so we're not stopping a bus where a car has a hard time seeing a bus stopped."

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory...olitan/3317297

[JoeChalupa]

, when I was young I used to walk......never mind.

[clubalien]

I went to ECISD and lived in schertz, walking to ECHS, johng, oakcrest, and the other schools isn't easy. You would more likely have to hitch hike to get there without using a bus or your own transportation.

I think next manny will want gas prices to go up so that EMS vechiles, firetrucks, and air lift rescue can be cut. Because my good those poor people shoudl just die they don't need these costly services. This is just governmentl waste. If they need help they shoudl just hire their own 24/7 doctor, fire department, personal helciopter, and other people. WHy they could even get jobs and not be lazy by provding those servies to the rich while they have no halth care and who needs a house why the master will let you live in his shack.

[Guru of Nothing]

Won't this affect your kids Clan?

[MannyIsGod]

BFD. No gain is made in a painless way. You can keep pointing out short term problems if you want, but it just makes you look stupid. Well, stupid is is stupid does.

[Clandestino]

BFD. No gain is made in a painless way. You can keep pointing out short term problems if you want, but it just makes you look stupid. Well, stupid is is stupid does.

yes! like you said... stupid is is does!

short term problems... yeah, if some kids are killed crossing the street because their usual stop is no longer there that is short term...

300 stops for Judson and 187 for the other! seems like a lot...

[Clandestino]

Won't this affect your kids Clan?

No, their bodyguards take them.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Nice spin, Clan.

The impact to the students in the case of Judson involves walking up to a block and a half to catch the bus. In the past, they have had to walk about a block to their bus stop, said Lee Iredale, Judson's director of transportation.

"I think it's reasonable," he said. "We also take into consideration known hazards: location of sex offenders ... large trees or shrubs that impact visibility so we're not stopping a bus where a car has a hard time seeing a bus stopped."

Wow. A half-a-block extra.

I did work for a school district and had to help kids get situated with bus pickup/dropoff (where and when did you do that so we can compare notes, Clan) and some stops in our area were on the same steet with no cross streets on the route. It would be two or three stops on one long street, so I fail to see the problem with condesing routes such as that.

Also, why are you linking from an in-state paper that picked up only part of the story from the AP wire?

Take two seconds and find the original Ex-News story which is filled with much more information to discredit your theories (oh, wait...that's why).

Fuel costs are forcing school districts to make changes

Web Posted: 08/19/2005 12:00 AM CDT

Mic e M. Martinez
Express-News Staff Writer

While commuters cringe at climbing gasoline prices, local school transportation officials are watching their fuel budgets increase and taking serious steps to save some gas money of their own.

The Judson School District, where school opens Monday, has eliminated about 300 bus stops for this school year. The East Central School District has cut 187 stops. School started in East Central on Monday.

The Edgewood School District is encouraging its bus drivers to conserve fuel by driving slow and coasting when possible. And the North East School District is stepping up maintenance of its 377 buses to ensure efficiency.

School officials across the country are facing increased gasoline and diesel costs. Districts don't pay as much per gallon as motorists pay at the pump because they're exempt from state and federal taxes, but prices are increasing, nonetheless.

"This is the most drastic I've ever seen it," said Nolan Anderson, executive director of transportation at the North East district.

Anderson estimates fuel costs in the NESD, which began the school year Monday, will increase by 56 percent this year. The Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City School District is planning for a 61 percent increase in fuel costs, though part of the hike can be attributed to bus routes added to accommodate the new high school.

Other districts reported increases ranging from 8 percent to 36 percent. Officials caution the estimates could increase because the cost of fuel is expected to continue to climb.

Joe Jones, transportation director for the Comal School District, said his counterparts across the state are paying close attention to factors that affect oil prices.

"I never dreamed I'd be researching the Wall Street Journal and reading commodities," said Jones, who is also chairman of the Texas Association of School Business Officials' Transportation Committee.

Lee Iredale, Judson's director of transportation, is also paying close attention. The district's fuel budget is expected to go up by at least 8 percent this year, bringing spending to $435,000. The increase would have been higher but officials beefed up their transportation budget by 21 percent last year to keep pace with rising fuel costs.

Judson officials also helped keep costs down by eliminating bus stops. Students will now have to walk up to a block and a half to catch the bus. In the past, they have had to walk about a block to their stop, Iredale said.

"I think it's reasonable," he said. "We also take into consideration known hazards: location of sex offenders ... large trees or shrubs that impact visibility so we're not stopping a bus where a car has a hard time seeing a bus stopped."

Jones, from Comal, said transportation officials across the state are streamlining their routes and have been doing so over the past few years in response to increasing fuel prices.

In Comal, which has about 15,000 students over 600 square miles, door-to-door bus service has nearly vanished, except for students with special needs. Students are required to walk up to 2/10 of a mile — or about 1,000 feet — to catch the bus.

Districts also are trying to save fuel by having bus drivers turn off the engine when they're waiting for students to board the bus. Judson is requiring its 182 bus drivers to sign "no-idling" pledges this year.

"We're saying that if you're gonna sit there for more than five minutes, you have to shut off your bus," Iredale said. "You'd be surprised how much gas we eat up just idling."

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business....1cdc449b.html

Oh, and how was that blowjob from clubalien since he defended your position against Manny?

[Clandestino]

Wow. A half-a-block extra.

tell that to the mother when her kid is killed crossing block and a half.

I did work for a school district and had to help kids get situated with bus pickup/dropoff (where and when did you do that so we can compare notes, Clan)

No, I have never been a crossing guard.

Also, why are you linking from an in-state paper that picked up only part of the story from the AP wire?

actually the stories are a bit different, but anyway, the woai link was down, so i had to find it elsewhere. i didn't know in this forum we were only allowed to post we read from mysa.com

Oh, and how was that blowjob from clubalien since he defended your position against Manny?

he defended the position and not me. you were sticking up for manny. there's a difference.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

actually the stories are a bit different, but anyway, the woai link was down, so i had to find it elsewhere. i didn't know in this forum we were only allowed to post we read from mysa.com

Yeah, I can see where typing the word "bus" into WOAI's Website Search box would be kind of hard.

http://woai.com/news/state/story.asp...0-8D0F72901957

Oh, and let me teach about something (when were you a journalist, so we can compare notes).

The AP's San Antonio Bureau is located AT the Express-News. Do me a favor and read those stories side-by-side.

An AP story is edited for clarity and to fit the rules of going on a wire, hence some word changes and order, yet keeping the same meanings. Also, why would a newspaper in Houston keep the lede which contains "local school transportation officials"?

That's right, because it's not local to them. Those who put stories on the AP wire must take away the localization so that the newspaper in Bum , Iowa can run it.

I didn't say that stories from the Express-News were the only ones that could be posted, I just made the mistake of asking you to actually search for multiple sources of information before posting. How silly of me.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

he defended the position and not me. you were sticking up for manny. there's a difference.

And yet you've still failed to show where I defended anybody that day other than in your own head.

You're right, backing up a point is not defense, Goober.

Well, helping children find routes when they register for classes isn't the job of a crossing guard, but since when have you been interested in the truth?

Anyway, back on point.

http://nisd.net/boundariesandbuses/

Route Management
Regular Routes: The District has established certain criteria to determine the use of various locations for bus stops within District boundaries. While each route composition is unique, the typical walk-to-bus stop distances are provided below to facilitate a timely and an effective route system.
Category

Walk-to-Bus Stop Distance

Pre-Kinder/Elementary
0.1 miles

Middle/High School(s)
0.2 miles

Note: The above distances do not apply to students attending magnet schools.

-----

This was the only district I could find with bus route info like that on their Web sites, but it maintains my point. Also, this was the district I worked for (Carlos Coon Elem. - 2002-03)

[Clandestino]

Yeah, I can see where typing the word "bus" into WOAI's Website Search box would be kind of hard.

http://woai.com/news/state/story.asp...0-8D0F72901957

Oh, and let me teach about something (when were you a journalist, so we can compare notes).

The AP's San Antonio Bureau is located AT the Express-News. Do me a favor and read those stories side-by-side.

An AP story is edited for clarity and to fit the rules of going on a wire, hence some word changes and order, yet keeping the same meanings. Also, why would a newspaper in Houston keep the lede which contains "local school transportation officials"?

That's right, because it's not local to them. Those who put stories on the AP wire must take away the localization so that the newspaper in Bum , Iowa can run it.

I didn't say that stories from the Express-News were the only ones that could be posted, I just made the mistake of asking you to actually search for multiple sources of information before posting. How silly of me.

no, yesterday when i kept trying to read the story at woai, the link wouldn't work. i'd get an error page.

oh, so they are the same story, but the AP one is edited for clarity? Perfect, who gives a about the local one since it wasn't perfectly clear...

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

no, yesterday when i kept trying to read the story at woai, the link wouldn't work. i'd get an error page.

oh, so they are the same story, but the AP one is edited for clarity? Perfect, who gives a about the local one since it wasn't perfectly clear...

Sigh. Goddamnit, Goober.

Word counts! Stories in newspapers run on inches. The usual count is ~33 words/inch.

AP Story = 258 words
Express-News Story = 576 words

Tell me, Goober, which story does a newspaper with limited space (and taking into account clarity for LOCALIZATION) choose to run?

[Clandestino]

This was the only district I could find with bus route info like that on their Web sites, but it maintains my point. Also, this was the district I worked for (Carlos Coon Elem. - 2002-03)

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Especially a story in which the Express-News ran a large photo above-the-fold, graphic elements and boxed off as their primary.

Gee, I can't figure why the newspaper in Bum wouldn't want to run a graphic that had Bexar County school district figures, a picture of a NEISD child and school bus and above-the-photo graphic elements in their story, too.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

You're right, I shouldn't have worked a job that allowed me to earn extra money while going to school without sacrificing my higher education.

But come on, Goober. to me about the AP again.

Also, if you can't see WHY WOAI would rather run an AP story than one bylined from the Express-News, you weren't the military's most intelligent intelligence officer.

[Clandestino]

You're right, I shouldn't have worked a job that allowed me to earn extra money while going to school without sacrificing my higher education.

But come on, Goober. to me about the AP again.

Also, if you can't see WHY WOAI would rather run an AP story than one bylined from the Express-News, you weren't the military's most intelligent intelligence officer.

i didn't say that. but being a crossing guard doesn't make you an expert in the area

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

i didn't say that. but being a crossing guard doesn't make you an expert in the area

You're right. Thanks for repeating what I said in post #11.

Oh, but making me an expert in the area? Even my job as the office assistant didn't make me an expert, but somebody familiar with the process.

Still, you've failed to say where and when you worked in a position like that since at sometime in your life, you must have planned bus routes for school children in a major metropolitan school district.

[Clandestino]

You're right. Thanks for repeating what I said in post #11.

Oh, but making me an expert in the area? Even my job as the office assistant didn't make me an expert, but somebody familiar with the process.

Still, you've failed to say where and when you worked in a position like that since at sometime in your life, you must have planned bus routes for school children in a major metropolitan school district.

I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Let's get back to the original point.

1. Where, in either story, was it mentioned about increased dangers from route changes? Wouldn't a sensationalist media dig and dig and dig for a juicy tidbit like that? I'm sure an experienced reporter like Ms. Martinez would have asked those questions.

2. Do you believe the school districts should continue with door-to-door service and continue to pay high gas costs?

3. Do you believe that, since Manny has a certain thought about gas costs, school districts shouldn't perform higher maintenence, idle less and condense trips (which every gov't en y involved with conservation has asked the general public to do)?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Clan, how would you (or how did you since you must have done the job already) increase monetary efficiency with regards to gas costs if you were the superintendent of a major school district?

You wouldn't want to have to pull money from other areas to pay for gas, then go to the taxpayers and ask them for more bond money to complete projects that were shelved because of the high gas costs, would you?

When you answer that and stop dodging the questions, then this thread can return to some sense of civility.

[MannyIsGod]

yes! like you said... stupid is is does!

short term problems... yeah, if some kids are killed crossing the street because their usual stop is no longer there that is short term...

300 stops for Judson and 187 for the other! seems like a lot...

It is kind of funny how obsessed you are with finding things that you can use against me.


Well, the saying is...

Stupid is is stupid does.

Maybe some of the kids can run to school.

[Shelly]

My kids get bus service to their schools even though it's less than two miles from my house. I believe it has something to do with crossing Braun Rd (or did in the past before they put a light there).

[spurster]

Well, when I was in grade school ....

I went to a country school and rode a bicycle on the country roads 1 1/2 miles by myself. Other kids had longer bike rides.

This doesn't seem to be something we would let any grade schooler do now.

[Spurminator]

Maybe this will help cut down on child obesity.