Transportation

2022 money bag with coins and a magnifying glass nearby
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Budget & Finance The Year in School Finance: 10 Stories You Should Know
Federal relief funds, persistent labor shortages, and looming environmental threats are among the year's most pressing issues.
Mark Lieberman, December 29, 2022
5 min read
Image of a school bus with its stop sign extended.
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School & District Management Uber for School Buses? How Companies Use Rideshare-Like Tech to Ease Driver Shortages
The headline-grabbing national school bus driver shortage has forced districts to make difficult choices.
Alyson Klein, December 7, 2022
5 min read
Newly installed solar panels stretch out along the north side of Madison-Grant High School near Fairmount, Ind., on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017.
Newly installed solar panels stretch out along the north side of Madison-Grant High School near Fairmount, Ind., on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017.
Jeff Morehead/The Chronicle-Tribune via AP
School & District Management Quick Hacks: How Schools Can Cut Costs and Help the Environment
Schools can take advantage of tax credits and grants offered in the climate change spending package Congress passed this year.
Mark Lieberman, December 2, 2022
3 min read
Row of empty school buses parked in a lot on a sunny day
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School & District Management Bus Driver Shortages Still Wreak Havoc on Schools and Students
A new report highlights the connection between school transportation challenges and absenteeism.
Mark Lieberman, November 11, 2022
2 min read
Photo of school bus with help wanted sign.
<b>F. Sheehan/Education Week and iStock/Getty</b>
Recruitment & Retention Opinion How My District Overcame Our Dire Bus Driver Shortage
Now, the district is applying the lessons to support staff in classrooms and cafeterias, writes Superintendent Mervin B. Daugherty
Mervin B. Daugherty, November 10, 2022
5 min read
A diesel pump is pictured in front of a Tooele County School District bus, which holds about a hundred gallons of fuel, at a state fueling center in Tooele, Utah, on Friday, March 18, 2022.
School transportation officials in some parts of the country have been on alert over concerns that spot fuel shortages could disrupt their operations.
Mengshin Lin/The Deseret News via AP
School & District Management Worries About Spot Fuel Shortages Keep Districts on Edge
High fuel prices and broader inflation are putting the squeeze on K-12 transportation—particularly in rural areas.
Mark Lieberman, November 4, 2022
2 min read
A row of flat-front yellow school buses with green bumpers are parked in front of white electric charging units.
Stockton Unified School District's new electric bus fleet sits parked in front of charging stations.
Business Wire via AP
Education Funding EPA Doubles Aid for Electric, Natural Gas-Powered School Buses, Citing High Demand
The $965 million in funding helps schools replace existing diesel buses with zero- and low-emissions alternatives.
Evie Blad, September 30, 2022
2 min read
Three students wearing cloth face masks look out the windows of a yellow school bus.
Students in Freeport, Maine, head home on a school bus earlier this year.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP
School & District Management Lacking Bus Drivers, Schools Make Tough Calls on Transportation
Three districts talk about how they've had to revise their transportation plans this school year and get the message to families.
Evie Blad, August 19, 2022
6 min read
Image: San Carlos, CA, USA - 2019 : Yellow low emissions NGV school bus refuel cleanest burning alternative fuel at compressed natural gas CNG fueling station owned by PG&E
Michael V/iStock Editorial/Getty Images Plus
Education Funding 3 Things in the Senate Climate-Change Bill That Could Affect K-12 Schools
The sweeping proposal includes funding opportunities for schools to operate electric buses and improve air quality in buildings.
Mark Lieberman, July 29, 2022
3 min read
Illustration of a man holding oversized money.
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Budget & Finance Interest Rates Are Going Up to Fight Inflation. Schools May Feel the Pain Either Way
Rising costs, expected higher wages, and diminished voter support for school levies have district leaders worried.
Mark Lieberman, July 5, 2022
4 min read
Stockton Unified School District's new electric bus fleet reduces over 120,000 pounds of carbon emissions and leverages The Mobility House's smart charging and energy management system.
The new electric bus fleet at California's Stockton Unified School District is projected to reduce the district's carbon emissions.
Business Wire via AP
School & District Management Schools Can Access Tons of Money for Electric Buses. Will They Use It?
Electric buses are growing more appealing as fuel prices rise, but some districts remain wary of the cost and logistics.
Mark Lieberman, June 16, 2022
5 min read
Image of buses lined up with stop signs extended out.
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Equity & Diversity Study Links Longer School Bus Rides to Chronic Absenteeism
Chronic absenteeism rates are as high as 12 percent for students with long bus rides, researchers find.
Williamena Kwapo, June 16, 2022
2 min read
Students board buses at Frances Slocum Elementary School in Marion, Ind., after classes on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. Marion Community Schools is looking for more bus drivers.
Students board buses at Frances Slocum Elementary School in Marion, Ind., where the school district has struggled to fill open positions for bus drivers—part of the larger wave of staffing shortages in schools.
Jeff Morehead/The Chronicle-Tribune via AP
Recruitment & Retention How School Staffing Shortages Are Hurting Students
Essential nonteaching school employees are in high demand, and when their positions go unfilled, high-need students suffer most.
Mark Lieberman, June 15, 2022
11 min read
A bus full of meals drives down a road as Chattahoochee County schools provides meals for their students for the last time before summer break on Thursday, May 7, 2020, in Cusseta, Ga.
Bus drivers provide the start and end to many students' school days—playing a critical role in learning. But with relatively low pay and challenging working conditions, veteran drivers are leaving for other jobs and districts are struggling to fill open positions with new ones.
Brynn Anderson/AP
Recruitment & Retention 'It's Hard to See the Perks': Schools Face Tough Sell in Filling Key Jobs
Bus drivers and other K-12 workers say they are underpaid for the difficult jobs they do to keep schools running.
Mark Lieberman, June 15, 2022
6 min read