FALCON, COLO. -- Despite a budget shortfall that has resulted in the elimination of bus service for the 2011-2012 school year, Falcon School District 49 is sending 50 buses to the state Capitol Thursday morning to rally for educational funding.
D49 officials made the announcement public on Wednesday.
In January, the school board voted to cut the bus service for all but special needs students to save the district $3.6 million to combat its $4 million budget shortfall.
The board is looking into several alternatives to the service. A few of those options include:
- A tax increase to pay for the service
- Changing or cutting routes to make the service more efficient
- Hiring a private company to take over the service
- Charging parents a fee to put their children on the bus
To Make matters worse, School Board Vice President Chris Wright sent an e-mail saying the transportation department needed a "time out" to figure out how to cut expenses and extend services.
Instead of cutting expenses, the district will send 50 buses on the 142-mile round trip to and from Denver Thursday morning. Buses will leave Falcon at 6 a.m.
'Fund our kids, fund our future' is the message Falcon School District said it is sending to lawmakers. The buses will circle the Capitol building, drawing attention to the budget situation facing D49 and other districts in the state.
D49 officials said legislatures need to understand the importance of education funding and the difficult decisions state cuts are forcing upon schools. They are hoping the rally will spark lawmakers to discuss educational funding again.
Representatives from D49 will hand over the keys to all 84 of its buses to symbolize the consequences of severe state cuts to education, which they said led to the vote eliminating bus service for next school year.
Should D49 be spending the money to send buses to Denver? Share your thoughts in our comment section below.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKXRM