Dearth of Reliable Data on Bus Costs Makes State Comparisons Tough

By Caroline Hendrie

It has become an article of faith in New Jersey's political and educational circles that the state's school busing costs are way out of whack.

This perception contributed strongly to the recent launch of a state investigation into whether New Jersey school bus contractors were conspiring to drive up prices. And it is heavily influencing the ongoing debate in the legislature over reforming the state's school transportation system.

But even those most convinced that New Jersey's per-pupil busing costs are exorbitant concede that the statistical basis for their beliefs...