How much is it worth, in terms of dollars and potential negative impact on the magnet school program, to reduce bus ride times in Wake County?

Bob Snidemiller, senior director of transportation, told school board members last week that they could reduce more bus ride times for non-magnet students to 45 minutes or less. But it would require buying more buses.

The number of new buses needed would depend on whether all magnet routes were switched to express runs, something the new majority would likely not back.

It looks like, for now, talk of only offering express bus service to Wake County magnet application students is off the table.

Superintendent Tony Tata says that the bus service being provided to magnet students for the 2012-13 school year is the same mix of neighborhood and express bus runs. He said they're not looking for next year at the idea discussed in September of only offering express magnet busing to save money and to reduce bus ride times.

The ideas was being pushed more by the members of the outgoing GOP board majority. With the election of a new Democratic majority that includes two current magnet parents and a former magnet parent, the change looks a lot less likely.

UPDATE

A discussion of policy 7125, which relates to bus ride times and routing, is on Tuesday's work session agenda. But since it would take a two-thirds majority to waive policy to adopt it on one reading, it's unlikely the current majority could make changes unless it was to call a special meeting before Dec. 6 for a second reading. Even then, the new majority could undo any changes.

How much of an impact would going to express busing only for Wake County magnet schools have on the program?

As noted in today's article, Superintendent Tony Tata and school board vice chairman John Tedesco don't think the potential change would have too much of an impact. Tata pointed to the recent online test drive in which more than 70 percent of participants said only having express busing wouldn't discourage them from attending magnet schools.

Tedesco pointed to how the magnet school program still turns away a few thousand students each year. Even if fewer applications come in, he said he doesn't expect the use of express busing will cause them to have fewer applicants than seats.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST

Wake County magnet school parents are not going to be happy with the latest proposal being considered by Superintendent Tony Tata.

Tata said at his weekly news conference today that he's directed staff to look for ways to reduce the length of bus rides to no more than an hour. He called it a "serious contending proposal" that he's looking at going to complete express bus service for magnet schools to accomplish that goal.

“We’ve got to find a way to decrease the time a student is on a bus,” Tata said at his weekly news briefing. “Being on a bus two hours is ridiculous.”

SEE END OF POST FOR LINK TO  TRANSPORTATION HANDOUT