COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Another school district may soon charge for bus rides.

Just a few months after Falcon District 49 implemented transportation fees, Academy District 20 in Colorado Springs is now considering charging for rides.

The district's board of education is hosting a public hearing Thursday to discuss the possibility.

The transportation fee was recommended by a district task force made up of community members, parents and even students.

The task force has been looking into the idea for the past 18 months, having started in 2010.

"I would say it is a sign of the times, we have to think outside of the box to get our kids educated," D-20 parent Cathy Thompson said.

Thompson has two kids at District 20's Academy Endeavour Elementary.

She said right now she and her neighbor walk their kids to school but added in the future they may have to ride the bus.

Currently D-20 drives nearly 6,500 students, which is around 25 percent of their total enrollment.

"State law only requires that districts transport students that need those services for special education purposes," Nanette Anderson with District 20 said.

Anderson said in light of the recent cuts to education, the district is having to rethink where and how it spends its money.

She said that is why the transportation task force was formed.

"The task force was very specific about other things needing to happen first, we need to make sure we have reached the efficiency levels that we can in our own transportation department," Anderson said.

If the fee is implemented, Anderson said the district would save around $700,000 annually.

"That is the law, if you charge a fee it goes back to transportation," Anderson said. "But that then frees up money that would have gone to transportation to stay in the general fund."

The recommended fee amount is 50 cents per ride for most students.

That adds up to around $200 per year for a family with one child who rides the bus twice a day.

Meanwhile Thompson said charging for rides may encourage more families to reach out, and help one another.

"Lets get back to the good old days, when one person took them to school and another picked them up," Thompson said. "Build relationships with our neighbors, there are other ways to get our kids to school."

The board will vote on the fee Nov. 10.

The public hearing on the matter is Thursday at 4 p.m. at the district's administration building at 1110 Chapel Hills Drive in the city.

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