Superintendent Report March 2, 2011

To: Board of Trustees

From: Dean Lindquist, Superintendent of Schools

Subject: Cooperative Bussing

Originator: Tim O’Hara, Director of Transportation Services

RECOMMENDATION

That the Board receive the Cooperative Bussing report, as information.

REPORT

Background:

The Division has five cooperative bussing agreements with other Boards. The agreements are broad enough to accommodate changes in circumstances such as student demographics to best suit the needs for both Boards.

Context of the Report:

The agreement with Parkland School Division #70 in the Evansburg area is reciprocal in nature (or joint), with our buses transporting students to a collection point and transferring them to Entwistle. Conversely, Parkland school buses transport students to Grand Trunk High School in Evansburg from east of Entwistle. The difference in school division calendars creates extra bussing costs to both Divisions with Parkland transporting an extra 6 days and GYPSD transporting an extra 4 days. This year there are 26 students from Parkland School Division bussed to Evansburg; 19 to Grand Trunk High School and 7 to Evansview School. GYPSD buses transport 7 students to Entwistle School in Parkland School Division.

The Board’s agreement with Northland’s School Division #61 permits them to transport GYPSD students from south of the Wanyandi area to Grande Cache and if necessary from Grande Cache Lake. Northland’s has three routes/buses providing service in the area.

GYPSD continues to bus First Nation elementary students to a hot lunch program at the Grande Cache Recreation Centre each day. This is a cost sharing arrangement that works well for both Boards.

The agreements with Yellowhead Koinonia Christian School (YKCS) in the Edson area, Living Waters Catholic Regional Division #42 in the Edson area, and Evergreen Catholic Regional Division #2 in the Hinton area, are unilateral with GYPSD providing service. The Board's agreement with YKCS provides bussing for rural students. Only YKCS ECS students are eligible for Alberta Education funding. To partially reimburse GYPSD for transportation costs, a fee is charged to their Board for students in grades 1 to 12. The fee this year for the 29 students to access division buses is $300 per student to a family maximum of $900.

The Board’s agreement with Living Waters Catholic Regional Division #42 covers the Edson rural area. The Board transports GYPSD students and LWCRD students to both Catholic Schools (163 to Holy Redeemer and 123 to Vanier). Of the 286 bussed students 22 are resident to LWCRD.

If Living Waters were to form up a co-terminus Catholic district in the greater Edson area (GEA) and resident Living Waters students continued to be bussed by GYPSD, an additional $103,000 under the cooperative bussing grant from Alberta Education would flow to GYPSD. Currently we receive $13,702 for these students (code 5). Alberta Education encourages cooperative bussing with co-terminus boards for code 5 students to minimize overlapping bussing.

In Hinton, the Board’s agreement with Evergreen Catholic Regional Division #2 affects only 15 students.

Conclusion:

In summary, transporting students for other Boards provides substantial revenue and route synergies to GYPSD than would be offered if each board approached this separately. From the public’s perspective having one primary bussing authority in an area demonstrates efficient use of tax dollars by limiting double bussing.