The yellow school bus could become another victim of the Great Recession in Washington state.
On Gov. Chris Gregoire’s list of potential ways to deal with a $2 billion budget shortfall is cutting $220 million in student-transportation funding. The Democratic governor is floating that idea, among others, in advance of a special legislative session later this month.
Washington would be the first state to eliminate all state dollars for bus service because of the recent recession, said Bob Riley, the executive director of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services. He noted that a few other states, including California and Colorado, have cut school transportation dollars in previous years.
