TRANSPORTATION:

RTD OPTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

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GOAL #1 Great Schools in Every Neighborhood

OBJECTIVE FOR TODAY

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1. Understand current student transportation services, and present recommendations for expanding High School access immediately utilizing funds freed up with RTD’s new Youth Pass creation.

2. Discuss potential longer-term options for expanding access for FRL students who exercise school choice.

3. Seek BoE approval on walk zone change.

DPS TRANSPORTATION: CURRENT STATE

GOAL #1 Great Schools in Every Neighborhood

CURRENT STATE OF TRANSPORTATION

A student is entitled to transportation if

she lives farther than the walk radius

(1 mi ES, 2.5 mi MS, 3.5 mi HS)

• Attends boundary/zone school

• Has a need to attend TNLI zone

school or regional Newcomer center

• Attends select magnet schools

• Is homeless or in foster care and

attend a non-boundary school for

enrollment continuity

• Special education students

receive curb to curb service if

transportation is a related service

on their IEP

• Any student may apply to ride an

existing route as an “exception”

AND

OR

POLICY

• 30k eligible students

• $20M budget

Traditional & Shuttle

• 2,758 eligible students

• $1.2M budget

RTD pass (HS only)

• 500eligible students

• $6M budget

3rd party provider

PRACTICE

4

IMPROVED ACCESS TO EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

Background

- In May 2016, DPS board pledged to work with community stakeholders in a two-year effort focused on increasing access and educational opportunities for high school students.

- $400K of 2016 Mill Levy proposal was set aside to support the expansion of the RTD pass program bringing the total investment to $1.2M.

- DPS collaborates with City of Denver, Donnell Kay Foundation and Together Colorado on potential options to expand RTD program for High School Students.

- April 2018 DPS Board of Education announces Proclamation in support of Pass Program Working Group recommendations to the Regional Transportation District.

- DPS was an active participant in the RTD Pass Working Group, which resulted in a 70% discount for youth passes creating incremental savings to expand pass program (annualized savings of approximately $367K to purchase the same number of monthly student passes as in the current programs).

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Up to Fall 2012

Spring 2016

Fall 2016

Summer 2017

Fall 2017

Winter 2017

Winter 2018

Spring 2018

Summer 2018

Fall 2018

DPS HAS BEEN WORKING WITH CITY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONSGoal: Use RTD “savings” to serve additional high school students

6

DPS began partnering with

Donnell Kay, Together Colorado

and the Mayor’s office to explore

adding RTD pass into My

Denver Card

2016 Mill Levy

passes with

$400k/year for RTD

RTD convenes working

group to overhaul pass

pricing strategy

DPS allocates

$400k to additional

transportation for

alternative schools;

waits for outcome of

RTD working group DPS explores reduced walk zone,

increased choice, partnerships with

CareerConnect, and transportation

for alternative schools

RTD announces

70% discount for

youth pass

DK/TG offers

suggestions to

BOE

Transportation

makes

recommend-

ations to BOE

DPS partners with

Together Colorado and

other community

partners to launch the

Success Express

Shuttles in FNE and

NNE regions

Strengthening

Neighborhoods

Committee publishes

recommendations

Great Schools,

Thriving

Communities group

discussion concludes

DPS TRANSPORTATION: PROPOSED

RECOMMENDATIONS

RECOMMENDING WALK ZONE CHANGE

What are we trying to solve?

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Today DPS has the largest walk zone in the state for high school students. We are

proposing to change Board policy to reduce the HS walk zone to 2.5 miles (aligned

with most districts in the state) to improve access/increase eligibility for DPS high

school students for district-funded transportation, while working within our current

budget.

This change will:

− Increase opportunities for ~1,700 high school students in addition to students who

already receive RTD passes to access public transportation to get to school, and for

other uses.

− Include a board-approved walk zone change, along with operational changes that

address cost and feasibility.

− Support recommendations made by interested community organizations.

The RTD Board approved a youth discount of 70% from the monthly pass price of $114

Cost for RTD Passes remaining for 2018-19 SY Current State = $49.00 RTD Fares Starting January 2019 (70% off of $114)

# of Monthly

Passes

Today’s Pass Cost

for remaining SY*

New Pass Cost for

remaining SY*

Net Impact

(savings)

Additional Students we

could serve for remainder of

SY18-19 with savings

Dept. of Transportation 2,758 $675,710 $471,618 ($204,092) 1,194

Data as of October 3rd, 2018

• Assumes new RTD Pass cost will be billed for January – May passes

• RTD budget is $1.2M

Cost for 2019-2020 SYCurrent State RTD Fares Starting January 2019 (70% off of $114)

Budget# of Monthly

Passes

Proposed Monthly

Cost per PassTotal Annual Cost*

Net Impact

(savings)

Additional

Students we would

serve annually with

savings

Dept. of

Transportation$1.2M 2,758 $34.20 $913,725 ($367,366) 1,108

• Model assumes passes for 9 months total annual cost + 2 weeks of ticket books @ $11.75

• Cost of ticket books are factored into the 2019-2020 student pricing.

• Assumes 100% of students would require a pass.

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POLICY OPTIONS DISCUSSED AND ANALYZEDCosts estimated for the 2019-20 school year

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Additional 1,673 Students Eligible

Annual Cost: $554,265

Net Cost: ($186,899)

60+% FRL

Additional 633 Students Eligible

Annual Cost: $219,652

Net Savings: $147,714

59% FRL

Additional 6,309 Students Eligible

Annual Cost: $2,090,172

Net Cost: ($1,722,806)

59% FRL

Additional 3,320 Students Eligible

Annual Cost: $1,099,916

Net Cost: ($732,550)

100% FRL

A: Reduce walk radius

to 2.5 for students who

attend boundary, zone,

or magnet schools with

current eligibility

D. Keep walk radius at 3.5, but provide passes to FRL choice students

attending non-boundary and non-magnet programs

B: Reduce walk radius to 3.0 for students who attend boundary, zone, or magnet schools with

current eligibility

C: Keep walk radius at 3.5, & provide RTD passes to choice

students attending non-boundary and non-magnet programs

Distance Considerations Choice & FRL Considerations

GOAL #1 Great Schools in Every Neighborhood

RECOMMENDED POLICY CHANGE

Reduce walk radius to 2.5 for students who attend boundary, zone, or magnet schools– model assumes 100% utilization

Additional

students,

1,673

60% FRL

Annual Cost

$554,265

Net Cost:

$186,899*

Benefits

Barriers

A:

Goal: What are we trying to accomplish with this change?

Reduce the walk by 1 mile, increasing transportation eligibility for another ~1,700 high school students

Create alignment between middle and high school transportation policies

Aligns with existing policies & equitable for distance among distance students must walk

60+% of students within the 2.5 to 3.5 walk are expected to be FRL, benefitting from this change

Provides consistency among service offerings & school models i.e. 6-12

Supports community recommendations

Increased student attendance and mobility, attendance and potential savings for schools

Easy to administer and provides additional support to 25 high schools

Additional funding required

Does not specifically increase access for lower-income students

Does not specifically support choice or students within zones

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*Note: cost expected to be covered via new “opt-in” process planned to be implemented in FY20

GOAL #1 Great Schools in Every Neighborhood

COMMUNITY PARTNER RECOMMENDATION #1Update DPS Transportation Services for High School Students

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Provide passes for all students living 2.5

miles from boundary or magnet school with eligible transportation:

1,673 students

costing the district

$554,265 annually*

Eliminate high school restriction that

students attend boundary school:

9,392 students

costing the district

$3,111,570 annually

Option 2: Not currently financially feasible

*Note: $187K net cost expected to be covered via new “opt-in” process planned to be implemented in FY20

POTENTIAL ROADMAP FOR FUTURE TRANSPORTATION CHANGES

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January 2019:

Reduce the walk distance to 2.5 miles for High School Students, passes are issued to additional students

August 2019:

Introduction of Opt-in process for RTD eligible students as a mechanism to free-up resources to fund walk zone cost deficit

Fall 2019:

Study RTD pass family opt-in behaviors and resulting savings/costs

SY 2020-2021:

Potential exploratory pilot for FRL families participating in Choice with additional savings realized from opt-in

EXTERNAL AUDIENCES| STUDENTS & FAMILIES

WEBSITES | dpsk12.org & transportation.dpsk12.org

SOCIAL MEDIA | District & Transportation Facebook & Twitter

PORTALS | Parent Portal Announcement; Infinite Campus

Robo Call

MEDIA RELATIONS| Story pitches to local web, print,

television and radio channels

NEWSLETTERS| Our DPS Weekly Newsletter

COLLATERAL MATERIALS| Flier for distribution by school

COMMUNICATION CASCADE MESSAGING:

CO

MM

UN

ICA

TIO

NS

CH

AN

NE

LS

KE

YM

ES

SA

GIN

G

ANNOUNCEMENT DATE12/18

RTD PROGRAM COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

INTERNAL AUDIENCES| DISTRICT

WEBSITES | thecommons.dpsk12.org (homepage and

transportation page)

NEWSLETTERS | Leader Weekly, Our DPS Weekly & Chalk

Talk

PORTALS | Principal & Officer Professional

EMAIL| School RTD Pass Coordinators (sent by

transportation)

COLLATERAL MATERIALS| Flier for distribution by school

EXTERNAL AUDIENCES| STUDENTS & FAMILIESMESSAGE: DPS strives to provide every student with access to high-quality education and is proud to announce that DPS

RTD Passes will now be available to more high school students. By decreasing the walk-distance from 3.5 to 2.5 miles for

students attending their boundary school, DPS can provide more access to safe and reliable transportation options. This was

accomplished through the collaboration between DPS and City of Denver and RTD officials, and will be partially funded

through the 2016 Mill Levy.

INTERNAL AUDIENCES| DISTRICTMESSAGE: In collaboration with City of Denver and RTD officials, DPS is happy to announce that DPS RTD Passes will now

be available to eligible students who live 2.5 miles from their boundary school. Schools will receive additional passes for the

newly-eligible students in January. With the increase in eligible students receiving DPS RTD Passes, the Reduced Fare Pass

program will see an increase cost beginning in January.

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NEXT STEPS

Vote on policy change

Initiate walk zone communication

- Communicate with key stakeholders

Implement change

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EXPLORING CITY PARTNERSHIP

DPS is exploring several opportunities with the City & County of Denver (CCD) to increase RTD transportation access for students including:

- Potential partnership with CCD to increase RTD pass availability for students not currently eligible for DPS transportation but might benefit from other city services (e.g., choice students or students living inside walk zones to access rec centers).

- Opportunity to move toward 12-month support for students with CCD picking up the summer month costs not currently covered by DPS

- Potential targeted region for choice family transportation access

Collaboration will continue in hopes of identifying mutually beneficial approach in support of DPS students and families.

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APPENDIX

17

CURRENT POLICY AND GUIDELINES FOR HS TRANSPORTATION ELIGIBILITY

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Basic Eligibility (per Board Policy EEA-R1)

Distance from home to school

• High School: more than 3.5 mile walking distance from student’s home

Enrollment in a school within a student’s catchment area

The following designations receive transportation if they are more than 3.5 miles away from their school and are enrolled

within their catchment area (Either traditional boundary or enrollment zone)

Newcomer: students must be identified as newcomers, meet the distance qualification above, and enroll in the school designated by

the DPS ELA office as best meeting their educational needs (RTD)

Title 1 or ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act): students identified as Title 1 or ESSA according to federal regulation, meet the

distance qualification above, and enroll in the school designated by DPS as best meeting their educational needs (2016-17 last year)

McKinney Vento (homeless): students identified per the qualifications of the McKinney Vento Act (generally considered as homeless)

and meet the distance qualification above (RTD)

Transitional Native Language Instruction (TNLI)/ESL/ELA-E: students identified as speakers of languages other than English, meet

the distance qualification above, and enroll in a school that is within their ELA or TNLI zone (RTD)

Magnet Schools: students attending a magnet school are provided transportation (ES and MS students receive bus service from their

neighborhood school; HS students receive RTD passes) (RTD)

The following designations do not rely on the established 3.5 mile walk distance

Exceptions: All DPS students no matter where they enroll in school may request travel assistance as an exception from the DPS

Department of Transportation (Yellow Bus)

Shuttle Zones: students who live and attend schools in our shuttle zones receive transportation service via the shuttle (Yellow Bus)

Special Education : students who are identified as having special needs have plans for transportation assistance included in their IEP

(Yellow Bus)

BREAKDOWN OF CURRENT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT DISTANCES AND TRANSPORTATION

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RTD Pass DPS Busing Walk Choice Student Total

< 2.5 miles

2.5miles- 3 miles

3 miles-3.5miles

> 3.5 miles

< 2.5 miles

2.5miles- 3 miles

3 miles-3.5miles

> 3.5 miles

< 2.5 miles

2.5miles- 3 miles

3 miles-3.5miles

> 3.5 miles

< 2.5 miles

2.5miles- 3 miles

3 miles-3.5miles

> 3.5 miles

FRL91 93 135 1,508 3,114 675 441 1,416 2,614 606 393 91 1,690 573 532 3,320 17,291

Non-FRL23 18 24 819 785 183 136 585 2,797 402 269 62 612 304 423 2,345 9,786

Unknown2 3 2 18 4 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 148 51 45 644 920

Total115 113 161 2,345 3,903 858 577 2,002 5,411 1,010 663 153 2,449 928 1,000 6,309 27,997

Data as of October 3rd, 2018

WHICH SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS BENEFIT FROM A LOWERED NON-TRANSPORTATION ZONE OF 2.5 MILES

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School Name

Total Students

Served FRL %

Remaining 2018-19 SY

cost SY 2019-2020 Cost

Abraham Lincoln 63 94% $10,773 $20,872

Compassion Road Academy 25 80% $4,275 $8,283

Contemporary Learning Academy 13 N/A $2,223 $4,307

DCIS HS 48 73% $8,208 $15,902

DELTA High School 15 N/A $2,565 $4,970

Denver Montessori HS 6 N/A $1,026 $1,988

Denver School of Arts HS 41 12% $7,011 $13,583

DS Innovation & Sustainable Design 9 N/A $1,539 $2,982

East 233 46% $39,843 $77,193

Emily Griffith Opportunity School 39 67% $6,669 $12,921

Excel Academy 43 93% $7,353 $14,246

Florence Crittenton School 20 95% $3,420 $6,626

George Washington 200 68% $34,200 $66,260

John F Kennedy 145 71% $24,795 $48,039

Kunsmiller Creative Arts HS 34 91% $5,984 $11,570

North 131 80% $22,401 $43,400

North HS Engagement Center 19 84% $3,249 $6,295

Northfied HS 142 16% $24,282 $47,045

P.R.E.P. Academy HS 3 N/A $513 $994

Respect Academy 30 77% $5,130 $9,939

South 37 54% $6,327 $12,258

Summit Academy HS 27 89% $4,617 $8,945

Thomas Jefferson 283 46% $48,393 $93,758

West Early College HS 5 N/A $855 $1,657

West Leadership Academy HS 22 86% $3,762 $7,289

Data as of October 3rd, 2018

NOTE: Due to student privacy concerns any

school with less than 16 students had their FRL

percent removed