CFISD to cut bus services for some students Cypress Sun News Houston Community Newspapers Online - News Around Town

This can be added to the list of budget cuts the district has made in order to compensate for a $14 million budget shortfall.

The reduction in bus services means that students who live less than two miles of their schools will no longer be eligible to ride the bus.

The exceptions to this would be students who must cross or walk along a hazardous roadway or those students who receive special education services and transportation is required.

The reasons for these cuts in bus services, CFISD spokesperson Kelli Durham explained, is because the state does not reimburse school districts for transporting students within two miles of campus.

“The district used to be able to absorb these transportation costs, but we are no longer able to do that,” she said.

Durham said Cy-Fair ISD spent about $32 million in 2008-2009 transporting students and was only reimbursed $6.4 million by the state.

The district will no longer provide late bus services for secondary students either, and shuttle bus service that was provided during the school day has been changed for many of the programs in the district.

CFISD is not the only school district that does not bus students who live within two miles of their assigned campuses. Klein ISD exercises the same practice.

“The district regrets the need for this reduction in service as well as other service reductions and budget cuts that are being made, but financial conditions require that these actions be taken,” Superintendent David Anthony stated in a release.

Letters have been mailed to parents of students who will be ineligible to ride the bus and additional information can be found on the district’s website at www.cfisd.net.