On September 1, 2006, the Senate Interim Committee on Education and the House Interim Committee on Education released an Education Adequacy Report as required by Act 57 of the Second Extraordinary Session of 2003. In that Report, the issue of a new funding system for Student Transportation to the Academic Facilities Oversight Committee was deferred. In trying to achieve the mandate, the Academic Facilities Oversight Committee is in need of certain data not currently collected by the State of Arkansas.
The information requested is two-fold. The Committee wants to know the amount of time that a bus is on the road and the average salaries of bus drivers. The Committee specifically requests the following information for each school bus used to transport students for academic – not for extra-curricular activities:
Bus Permit Number
Morning Time that the Bus begins the route
Morning Time that the Bus ends the route
Afternoon Time that the Bus begins the route
Afternoon Time that the Bus ends the route
For the Buses that transport students during the school day – e.g. to and from one campus to another – the Committee requests to include the amount of time that the Bus runs the routes.
School districts do not compensate bus drivers in the same way. In order to provide methodologically sound data to the Committee, a request is made that each school district provide an average hourly rate paid to bus drivers.
In order to facilitate the work of the Committee, a request is made that the information be submitted to the address shown below by November 13, 2006.
Division for Public School
Academic Facilities and Transportation
Attn: Mike Simmons
501 Woodlane, Suite 600
Little Rock, AR 72201