Last Thursday, in my comments to the BOE, I raised the issue of the cost and dangers of busing. I also provided each of the BOE members a handout detailing all my sources and calculations EXCEPT for the 275,000 additional miles. I guess I figured that since the numbers came from their own data and charts, and have been used since the Croal Report, with no questions or clarification requested, that this was a figure we could all agree upon. The BOE never challenged the additional miles, they just asserted that the cost would be absorbed by the state. I confirmed with Mr. Derek Graham that the state would NOT pick up any additional costs the first year, and cap any cost increases the second year, except those due to increases in salaries, fuel costs or attendance, the BOE brought in Mr. Jeffries to try to muddle the issue. Im not sure what they told Mr. Jeffries, and Im not sure what Mr. Jeffries discussed with Mr. Graham, and Im really not sure what point Mr. Jeffries was trying to make last night with his prepared comments- except that it had something to do with grandfathering, caps and new students, and that he was sure there would be no cost increases. Here is an email that has been sent to Mr. Jeffries, the BOE, the BOCC and Mr. Graham. The never-ending spin, deception, avoidance and denial by our UCPS administration BOE is simply beyond comprehension. If they questioned the methodology, all they needed to do - at any point - was to ASK A QUESTION. Mr. Jefferies, Yesterday, you stated at the meeting that the distance, if redistricting was approved was not 275,000. I wanted to say yes, you are correct and it is not 275,000 additional miles each year. The actual calculation is 550,728 additional miles per year. Please see the attached spreadsheet that was created from the “Distances Spreadsheets” that is on the UCPS website at: ucps.k12.nc.us/links/proposed_maps.php If you take the “Current Miles” and subtract the “Proposed miles” for each of the clusters, this will equal the “Mileage Change 1 way”. Please note, this analysis is based on only 1 bus per community per school. Keep in mind that many communities have more than 1 bus, so the 550,728 miles is a conservative amount. The cost per mile for operating the buses was extrapolated from the NC statewide figures from 2012/2013: Number of buses 13,412 x 76 Average Bus mileage per day = 1,019,312 miles per day x 180 days = 183,476,160 miles per year. Total Cost for Transportation NC = $494,923,500 / 183,476,160 = $2.69 per mile. This was confirmed to be consistent with Charlotte-Mecklenburgs published figures for 2010 of $2.70-$2.82 per mile. (please see page 32 of the Transportation Overview Report) Again, I took the most conservative figure. I added 1.7% for inflation for an operating cost of $2.75 per mile. If you feel that these figures are not correct in anyway, please advise of the discrepancies ASAP. I look forward to your response.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 22:19:47 +0000
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