(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

difficult decision

Chinook’s Edge raises busing fees, adds charge for rural students

Jan 17, 2020 | 11:09 AM

An ongoing struggle with its transportation deficit is leading Chinook’s Edge School Division to raise busing fees for town students and begin charging for the busing of rural students.

Starting in 2020-21, the yearly fee for busing town students is increasing from $300 to $500, while the new fee for busing rural students will be $200.

Superintendent Kurt Sacher says the decision does not come without regret and that they do empathize with families. However, the division has long been spinning its wheels trying to get a handle on the longstanding transportation deficit.

“Over the past four years, our ability to charge fees has been restricted, and during that time we have found efficiencies with ride times, purchasing fewer newer buses, using contract busing, piloting joint busing with Red Deer Catholic (saving $100,000), and still we have a significant deficit,” he says. “This year, the deficit is the largest it’s ever been.”

The division’s bus system costs $7.2 million annually to run, but they only get a $6 million transportation grant from the province, leaving a $1.2 million shortfall.

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Sacher says each bus would need 46 students onboard in order to break even under the current fee structure.

“We’re not willing to make up the deficit by taking a number of education assistants or teachers or other classroom resources away from our students to subsidize our transportation system,” he explains.

“Like many other school divisions across the province of Alberta, we have unfortunately been left with no option other than to charge a cost-recovery fee for service.”

About 65 Chinook’s Edge routes currently operate below the 46-student threshold. Approximately 200 students already travel more than hour to and from school. Moving students around to ensure each bus has 46 passengers would only increase travel times to unreasonable lengths, Sacher points out.

He also explains why they purchase seven new buses every school year.

“If we go with fewer new buses each year, our fleet ages fairly quicky. With older buses, we notice that our maintenance costs go up significantly,” he says. “The other issue that comes to the forefront is that when you’re running older buses that aren’t mechanically sound, you bring into play safety issues.”

Chinook’s Edge will be offering a payment plan, where half the fee can be paid by Sept. 1 and the rest by Feb. 1. Additionally, families will only pay the full fee for the first two children, with the third (and subsequent) child’s fee cut in half.

Sacher notes that about 40 rural school divisions make up a Rural Caucus, which will continue to advocate to the province for increased transportation grant funding.