HOUSTON — In our KHOU 11 back-to-school survey, you told us that transportation was one of the issues you’re most concerned about heading into the school year, and we’ve got news about school bus routes in the state’s biggest district.
Houston ISD announced Monday they're making changes to the district's school choice transportation program.
First, they're reducing the number of bus routes for the upcoming school year from 508 to 423. Another change – HISD said ride times for the average student will go from one hour and 45 minutes down to one hour and 15 minutes.
They also said that students in the school choice program will be dropped off within a three-mile radius of their homes, whereas last school year, it was a two-mile radius.
The district plans to reduce overall transportation costs by $10 million. They said $3 million of that will be by streamlining bus routes.
HISD said students who go to their zoned schools or have special needs shouldn't see changes.
Families will get their routes by the end of July, according to the district.
Charley-Renae Baham told KHOU 11 News her first grader is a school choice student and said her transportation is now up in the air.
"I would like HISD to take more consideration of what the parents have to go through," said Renae Baham. "If I have to commute three miles a little bit further then I have to consider who's going to be able to pick her up when I'm at work and the other way around."
Jessica Campos is a mother of three. Her children are all school choice students.
She said she already had to make changes to get her daughters to school last year.
"We need buses that are close by," Campos said. "I feel like that's going to be an even bigger problem for working parents and parents that can't drive their kids to school every day."
What issues are you most concerned about this school year? Let us know if our back-to-school survey below.