WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is looking to eliminate funding in fiscal 2027 for the agency that serves as the primary federal funding source for libraries and museums nationwide.

But congressional appropriators — who rebuffed similar efforts to gut the agency in fiscal 2026 — expressed little enthusiasm for the proposed cut in interviews with States Newsroom. Groups representing museums and libraries across the country also blasted the president’s proposal. 

The administration is requesting $6 million in fiscal 2027 for the agency, known as the Institute of Museum and Library Services, “for necessary expenses to carry out (its) closure.”

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, noted that her panel did not agree to the same Trump request in fiscal 2026 to eliminate funding for the agency. 

“I personally have always been a fan of libraries, and it does a lot for local communities,” said Capito, a West Virginia Republican whose panel writes the annual bill to fund the Institute of Museum and Library Services. 

“So, that’s what he does, he proposes, and then we look at it and make our own decisions,” she said. 

Last year’s request turned down

The spending package signed into law by Trump in February provides roughly $292 million for the agency this fiscal year — a sharp rejection of Trump’s efforts. 

Capito said that though her committee will consider the president’s fiscal 2027 request, “if you look at what we did last year, it shows that we kind of rejected that premise.” 

Rep. Robert Aderholt, an Alabama Republican and chair of the corresponding Appropriations subcommittee in the House, appeared noncommittal about pursuing Trump’s fiscal 2027 request to gut the agency.

In response to States Newsroom’s request for a phone interview, Aderholt provided a written statement. 

“We are reviewing the request from the Administration and the requests from every member of the House,” Aderholt said, adding that “this is a member-driven process, and we look forward to working with our colleagues in putting together a strong bill for the American taxpayers.” 

Legal battles

The agency was created by Congress in 1996 and has a mission to “advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development.”

The administration has taken major steps to try to dismantle the agency, including through a March 2025 executive order. 

However, Trump’s Department of Justice reached a settlement earlier in April with the American Library Association — the nation’s largest library association — and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — the country’s largest union of cultural workers — that protects the agency and guarantees it will continue issuing grants and program operations. 

In another setback for the administration, the DOJ dropped its appeal this month in a case brought by 21 attorneys general, who challenged the administration’s efforts to dismantle the agency and had secured a major court victory in November. 

‘The barbarians are at the door’

Meanwhile, leading Democrats on the House and Senate appropriations panels dealing with the agency’s spending were quick to lambaste Trump’s proposal in interviews with States Newsroom. 

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, ranking member of the Senate subcommittee and a Wisconsin Democrat, described the agency as “such an incredibly valuable entity” and vowed to fight “tooth and nail” to protect it. 

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, ranking member of the full House Appropriations Committee and the spending subcommittee with jurisdiction over the agency, said the administration’s request is “just neanderthal.”

The Connecticut Democrat said “we’ll work to restore like we try to do every time,” while adding that Trump’s request indicates that “the barbarians are at the door.” 

Library, museum organizations push back

Leading library and museum organizations fiercely opposed Trump’s request and called on Congress to reject the proposal. 

In a statement, Sam Helmick, president of the American Library Association, said Trump’s “continued attack” on the agency in the budget request and the March 2025 executive order to shutter it “shows the extent to which the administration is tone deaf to the needs of millions of Americans who rely on libraries every day: older adults and veterans who use library telehealth spaces; unemployed people who use library resources to find a new job or learn new skills; families who count on story time; and students and faculty who do research in school and academic libraries.”

John Chrastka, founder and executive director of EveryLibrary, said Trump’s proposal is “a direct threat to the infrastructure that millions of Americans rely on every day,” in a statement. 

Chrastka, whose organization is dedicated to building support for libraries, said “libraries are not optional,” but instead represent “essential public resources that support literacy, workforce development, and community connection in every state.”

The American Alliance of Museums blasted the proposal as “misguided and out of step with the American public and Congress,” noting that similar efforts in fiscal 2026 and prior budget cycles to yank funding for the agency were rejected due to “strong bipartisan, bicameral support in Congress and sustained advocacy from the museum community.” 

The Institute of Museum and Library Services declined to comment on Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget request. 

We cover industry shoutouts, conference connections, a terrifying bus vs. train encounter and Diesel Emissions Reduction Act updates.

“One thing about transportation [is] it’s never boring.” Transportation Supervisor Melody Best offers a behind-the-scenes look at how operations are handled in Kenai Peninsula Borough School District in Alaska amid adverse weather, multiple school closures, budget cuts, technology needs and even moose in the road. She also shares the benefits of participating in the STN EXPO East Mentorship Program in Charlotte, North Carolina last month.

Read more about operations.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

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Stream, subscribe and download the School Transportation Nation podcast on Apple Podcasts, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Spotify and YouTube.

The post (STN Podcast E303) Moose in the Road: Making School Bus Operations Work in Alaska appeared first on School Transportation News.

A Thursday webinar went behind the scenes into how a Dallas-area school district transportation department utilized data and alternative transportation to support student attendance amid budgetary concerns.

Budget Pressure is Rising

“We know efficiency is going to be top of mind for every district,” declared Courtney Pallotta, chief marketing officer for EverDriven.

She said the sponsored webinar Thursday was meant to provide tools so districts can submit budget plans with the goal of “[making] sure every kiddo gets to school every day, safely.”

Timothy Logan, director of transportation for nearby Garland Independent School District, advised keeping an eye on data and trends, such as enrollment fluctuations, spiking fuel costs, staff overtime and legislative mandates without funding.

“Prepare and pivot,” he encouraged.

Alex Muirbrook, strategic sales director for EverDriven, noted that the student-centric mission stays the same no matter the cost increases or how much the budget shrinks.

“It’s a very interesting paradox in that, when you think about student transportation, there are elements of what has to be managed every day that are incredibly operational like fuel or drivers, but the flipside is that the outcome is incredibly human,” Pallotta said. “At the end it’s still about a student experience.”

Pallotta reviewed a recent survey sent to STN readers that indicated pressure on transportation leaders continues despite varying budget outlooks.

Logan and Garland ISD Operations Supervisor Jazmyn Ware agreed with the survey results, which found that the top reasons transportation departments expected a funding decrease were: District-wide budget cuts, state and federal funding reductions, declining enrollment and rising operational costs elsewhere.

It costs just as much to run the same scope of operations even if the school buses grow empty as more students move out of the area, Logan said.

Budgetary challenges aren’t going away soon. Logan said transportation leaders must reconsider vehicle choices, utilize third parties, or make hard decisions such as cutting field trips or overtime. Wared added it’s a tough conversation because “we have the overtime because we have the need” for sports or band trips.

Ware underscored the importance of intentionality to reduce idling and deadhead (miles travelled without cargo), consolidate routes, run fuller buses and overall be more efficient. That must be balanced with student welfare since “we want to get the students to and from in a timely manner but also a safe manner,” she said.

Muirbrook and Logan praised the student transportation industry for being a close-knit group whose members converse and brainstorm solutions to budget issues.

“Phone a friend,” Ware agreed.

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Three Practical Transportation Shifts

The first of three practical transportation shifts advised was to align transportation decisions with student access and attendance goals.

Serving special education, medically fragile, or McKinney-Vento eligible students is an important piece of the puzzle, Muirbrook said. He noted that adding these students to existing routes and buses is a different consideration than if they need new routes or vehicles.

Ware spoke to continuing economic hardships resulting in more McKinney-Vento eligible students. Logan reiterated the need for data, which shows a spike near the winter holiday season but indicates that the overall trend is increasing.

The second tip was to improve efficiency by matching student need with the right transportation mode, which Pallotta noted may not always be the yellow school bus.

“This is an outcome-driven approach,” she said. She advised considering enrollment data and planned routes then asking, “How do I plug this into the choices I have, or do I need to introduce a choice I don’t have to gain more efficiency and flexibility?”

For students with special needs, Ware noted that the many considerations include ride times, student disabilities, level of service needed and more. “We are very creative,” she confirmed.

“I’m sure there’s a lot of both art and science to how you do that,” Pallotta quipped.

Logan agreed, “Our goal is to get them there, and that’s what we do.”

Ware stated that the team first looks to put a student on a yellow school bus and, if that doesn’t fit, works with EverDriven for alternative transportation. Logan noted that this partnership helps fill a need where the district requires alternatives.

Having the flexibility to choose the most appropriate options lets transportation teams focus on safety, student support and affordability amid increased homelessness or school closures, Muirbrook noted.

Lastly, the panel advised connecting transportation outcomes to the district’s 2026 – 2027 budget request.

Clear communication and avoiding surprises, Logan said, have resulted in transportation having a seat at the table in Garland ISD and securing buy-in from administration.

Muirbrook noted that investing in student attendance is not only valuable for the children but often ends up cyclically paying off financially for the district.

“Have multiple tools in your kit so you have the flexibility to do the right thing for the right student within your budget,” Pallotta said.

Watch the webinar on demand. 

The post ‘Prepare and Pivot,’ Advises Texas Student Transportation Director appeared first on School Transportation News.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — HopSkipDrive, the leader in safe, fast, and simple supplemental student transportation, today announced the introduction of Flexible Invoice Groups. This new self-service tool, available directly within the ride management software RideIQ, allowing transportation directors to automate and customize how they group rides—aligning them instantly with specific school budgets, grant funding, or departmental structures.

In school transportation,”simple” billing is often a myth. Managing these operations is about more than just a ride; it’s about navigating a complex web of budgets, grants, and departmental funding. For large districts, the reality of McKinney-Vento funds, General Ed budgets, and changing Foster Youth placements often means transportation directors end up buried in manual spreadsheets and custom workarounds.

Flexible Invoice Groups is designed to simplify these complex needs by putting control back in the hands of districts and eliminating the need for manual workarounds. Every month, the system automatically generates:

● Custom Budget Alignment: Invoices are automatically pre-sorted into your district’s
specific “buckets”—such as McKinney-Vento or General Ed. Because riders are mapped to these groups on the backend, your billing arrives already aligned with your funding and departmental structures.
● Total Transparency: Every invoice automatically generates a consistent Excel backup with trip-level details. Because we maintain a direct relationship with every CareDriver, you get a verified audit trail showing exactly how each student’s ride is billed.
● Clear Reporting: Access clean, standardized PDFs that are pulled directly from our ride records. Our direct relationship with drivers on our platform means reports are generated directly from our data, not from a middleman’s spreadsheet. These PDF reports provide the easy-to-understand documentation that procurement teams often need to share with other departments and district leadership.

From a Manual Marathon to Total Accuracy
Aligning invoices with internal cost centers used to be a manual marathon, especially for
districts juggling multiple funding sources. We’ve transformed that”spreadsheet scramble” into a centralized, automated system, slashing the time spent on reconciliation and freeing your team to focus on what matters most: getting students to school safely and reliably. Unlike unregulated brokers who can subcontract to unknown third-party fleets—leading to “middleman markups” and fragmented data—HopSkipDrive maintains a direct relationship with every CareDriver. This oversight provides the verified audit trail and transparent reporting necessary to protect your district’s budget and liability, without the hidden costs.

Precision at Scale
The strength of Flexible Invoice Groups lies in providing the granular data needed to track every dollar. By enabling admins to create custom groupings and providing a standardized Excel backup for every billing cycle, this feature ensures that your financial reporting stays seamless and manageable, no matter how many rides you’re coordinating.

At HopSkipDrive, we are committed to being a trusted partner in your district’s financial health. While Flexible Invoice Groups automates the technical side of billing, it is just one part of our support ecosystem. From Shared Billing that automatically splits costs between districts, to RideIQ reports that provide the documentation needed for Medicaid reimbursements, we are giving administrators back their most valuable resource: time. As districts continue to scale their operations, these tools ensure that your billing remains as agile and transparent as you need.

About HopSkipDrive
HopSkipDrive is the leader in safe, fast, and simple supplemental student transportation. Modernizing the $30 billion school transportation industry through its care-centered transportation marketplace which supplements school buses by connecting kids to highly-vetted caregivers on wheels, such as grandparents, babysitters, and nurses in local communities. HopSkipDrive also offers its industry-leading transportation intelligence platform, RouteWise AI, to address critical challenges, including budget cuts, bus driver shortages, and reaching climate goals. With this technology, HopSkipDrive has supported over 14,500 schools and over 2,000 school districts, government agencies, and nonprofit partners. Since its founding in 2014 by three working mothers, HopSkipDrive has surpassed more than 100 million safe miles driven. This record includes nearly 3 million foster and McKinney-Vento rides and 1.7 million Individualized Education Program (IEP) rides, alongside millions of additional trips for General Education, Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, and extracurricular activities.

The post HopSkipDrive Launches “Flexible Invoice Groups” to Simplify Complex School District Billing appeared first on School Transportation News.

WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. testified before Congress on Thursday that he’s not pleased with how spending cuts to programs that help lower-income Americans afford food will affect his efforts to bolster healthy eating habits. 

“Am I happy about the cuts? No, I’m not happy about the cuts,” Kennedy said during a lengthy hearing in front of the House Ways and Means Committee, one of several congressional panels he’ll testify before in the days ahead. 

Kennedy added that President Donald Trump and White House budget director Russ Vought also didn’t truly want to propose funding cuts to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, often called WIC, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. 

“Nobody wants to make the cuts. Russ Vought doesn’t want to make the cuts. President Trump doesn’t,” he said. “But we got a $39 trillion debt.”

Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Gwen Moore, who asked the questions, then referenced comments Kennedy made earlier in the hearing about Froot Loops, when he said it “isn’t even a food. It’s just poison.”

Moore noted the cereal is “a lot cheaper than good, healthy food.”

Froot Loops includes a corn flour blend, sugar, wheat flour, whole grain oat flour, modified food starch and other ingredients. 

Trump advocates reductions for HHS

The Trump administration’s budget request for the fiscal year set to begin on Oct. 1 proposes Congress increase defense spending by more than half a trillion dollars, accounting for a 43% boost, and that lawmakers cut domestic spending by 10%. 

It suggested Congress reduce spending at HHS by $15.8 billion, or 12.5%, to $111.1 billion, though lawmakers largely rejected proposed spending cuts to the department during last year’s government funding process. 

Vought testified earlier this week that the administration expects to ask Congress for additional defense spending for the war in Iran, though he said he couldn’t give lawmakers a ballpark estimate for how much that will add to the current request for $1.5 trillion in defense funding. 

Lawmakers questioned Kennedy about dozens of other issues throughout the hearing, including how he’s spoken about vaccines since being confirmed HHS secretary, the rise in measles cases throughout the country and comments Kennedy and Trump made about the possible causes of autism. 

Utah Republican Rep. Blake Moore, after sharing that his 10-year-old is on the autism spectrum, said he was “underwhelmed” by what the administration has released so far about possible causes. 

He also said that his wife was hurt by claims from Trump and Kennedy that women who take Tylenol when pregnant could increase the risk their children are later diagnosed with autism. 

“We don’t even know if she took Tylenol during her pregnancy, but that was a hurtful moment for her,” Blake Moore said. “And I just want to encourage the administration and your team to keep at it. And I think there’s more we can do here with low expectations.”

Medical experts say that decades of research shows autism is the result of a combination of genetic and environmental factors.  

Measles death

California Democratic Rep. Linda T. Sánchez questioned Kennedy about comments he made during his Senate confirmation hearing on vaccines, arguing that he hasn’t stuck to the commitments he made during that process. 

She then asked him if the measles vaccine could have prevented a boy from dying of the disease in Texas. 

“It’s possible, certainly,” Kennedy said. 

But, he repeatedly declined to answer a question from Sánchez about whether Trump approved the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s decision to remove a messaging campaign to encourage vaccination, even as she asked it several times. 

Sánchez then displayed a poster showing a photograph of Kennedy and Kid Rock to illustrate her discontent with his work so far as HHS Secretary. 

“Now, one thing that I find incredible is that you suspended this pro-vaccine messaging campaign. But somehow you’re spending taxpayer dollars to drink milk shirtless in a hot tub with Kid Rock,” she said. “And somehow you think that’s a better public health message than informing the public about the importance of vaccines.”

Day care, Medicaid, Black maternal health

Illinois Democratic Rep. Danny K. Davis pressed Kennedy about whether he agrees with a statement Trump made earlier this month when the president said, “We can’t take care of day care. It’s not possible for us to take care of day care. Medicaid, Medicare, all of these individual things. They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal. We have to take care of one thing, military protection.” 

Kennedy responded that he was “told to make a 12% cut across our department” because the national debt, which has accumulated over decades, has reached $39 trillion. 

“We’re now having to tighten our belt,” Kennedy said. 

Davis also questioned Kennedy on funding and initiatives to reduce Black maternal mortality, saying “the Trump administration is undermining Black maternal health from all sides.”

“The GOP slashed over a trillion dollars from Medicaid, which pays for over 40% of births in the United States. President Trump just proposed cutting maternal and child health programs by over $800 million,” he said. “DOGE canceled funds for several research projects that could save countless Black mothers, like the Morehouse School of Medicine research on improving the health of Black pregnant and postpartum women.”

Kennedy responded by arguing that he and others in the Trump administration are “doing more to advance maternal health than any other administration in history.”

“There was tremendous duplication in the departments. We had 42 different maternal health services in our department,” Kennedy said. “And we cut some of those and consolidated them. Right now, we are investing huge amounts of money in maternal health.”

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration released its fiscal 2027 budget request Friday, asking Congress to increase spending on defense programs by 43% and decrease funding for non-defense accounts by 10%. 

The proposal kicks off what will be a monthslong process on Capitol Hill as lawmakers write the dozen annual government funding bills ahead of the Oct. 1 deadline. 

Congress rarely adheres to the president’s request entirely, and didn’t do so last year, rejecting many of the proposed cuts, including to health and education.

Last year’s process, the first of President Donald Trump’s second term, was considerably rocky, leading to a 43-day shutdown that began in October, a brief partial shutdown that ended in early February and an ongoing shutdown for the Department of Homeland Security. 

This budget request proposes Republicans again use the complex budget reconciliation process they used last year to enact the “big, beautiful” law to further bolster spending on the Pentagon and DHS. 

The Defense Department would have its budget raised to $1.5 trillion, a $445 billion increase over its current funding level. The administration proposes lawmakers put $1.1 trillion of that in the annual spending bill that would require bipartisan support to move through the Senate and place the other $350 billion in the partisan reconciliation bill. 

“America has already begun to strengthen and reinvigorate the military by committing tens of billions of dollars to new and innovative programs such as the Golden Dome for America, and making critical investments in the defense industrial base,” the document states. “By continuing to provide the resources necessary to rebuild America’s military, the Budget re-establishes deterrence, revives the warrior ethos of America’s Armed Forces, and prioritizes investments against the most acute national security threats.”

Department-by-department requests

The budget asks that lawmakers also increase spending on:  

• The Energy Department by $4.8 billion, or 10%, to $53.9 billion.
• The Justice Department by $4.7 billion, or 13%, to $40.8 billion.
• The Veterans’ Affairs Department by $11.5 billion, or 9%, to $144.9 billion in discretionary spending. 

The proposal asks Congress to decrease spending on: 

• The Agriculture Department by $4.9 billion, or 19%, to $20.8 billion.
• The Commerce Department by $1.3 billion, or 12.2%, to $9.2 billion. 
• The Education Department by $2.3 billion, or 2.9%, to $76.5 billion.
• The Environmental Protection Agency by $4.6 billion, or 52%, to $4.2 billion. 
• The Department of Health and Human Services by $15.8 billion, or 12.5%, to $111.1 billion. 
• The Department of Housing and Urban Development by $10.7 billion, or 13%, to $73.5 billion.
• The Interior Department by $2.3 billion, or 12.9%, to $15.9 billion. 
• The Labor Department by $3.5 billion, or 25.9%, to $9.9 billion.
• The Small Business Administration by $671 million, or 67%, to $329 million. 
• The State Department and other international programs by $15.5 billion, or 30%, to $35.6 billion.
• The Transportation Department by $1.6 billion, or 6.2%, to $26.6 billion.
• The Treasury Department by $1.5 billion, or 12%, to $11.5 billion. 

The budget proposes $63 billion in funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which doesn’t yet have its appropriations bill from the current year for comparison. 

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in a statement there are issues with some of its proposals for both defense and domestic spending. 

“While there are some improvements over last year’s domestic discretionary budget request, including full support for the Pell Grant program, the request has several shortcomings,” she said. “For example, the proposal includes unwarranted funding cuts in biomedical research. It would also terminate worthwhile programs like LIHEAP, which helps low-income families and seniors to pay their energy bills during the cold winter and hot summer months, and TRIO, which assists low-income, first-generation students in pursuing higher education.” 

Collins indicated she may bolster defense spending for a certain type of ship that she views as essential to the country’s military. 

“The request for just one DDG-51, the workhorse of the U.S. Navy, is insufficient to counter the ever-growing Chinese fleet, which now exceeds the size of the American Navy, as well as other global threats,” she said. 

Privatizing TSA screening

The president’s request asks lawmakers to cut funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s non-disaster grant program and to begin the process of offloading security screening at the nation’s airports. 

“The Budget begins the privatization of TSA’s airport screeners by requiring small airports to enroll in the Screening Partnership Program, under which TSA pays for private screeners at designated airports,” it states. “The airports that already use this program have demonstrated savings compared to Federal screening operations. The move would yield cost savings compared to Federal screening and begin reform of a troubled Federal agency.”

The budget asks Congress to provide an increase of $1.7 billion to the Bureau of Prisons to improve working conditions and pay, with $152 million of that going to the first year costs to “rebuild Alcatraz as a state-of-the-art secure prison facility.” The Bureau of Prisons has been evaluating whether to restore the closed California facility.

The budget proposes increases in funding for Trump’s efforts to improve the District of Columbia, including a $10 billion Presidential Capital Stewardship Program run through the National Park Service and $403 million for a new Transportation Department program to upgrade security in the Metro system and other local projects. 

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which launched the Artemis II mission this week to orbit the moon, would receive a $5.6 billion, or 23%, cut under Trump’s budget proposal to a total funding level of $18.8 billion. 

It asks Congress to decrease funding for the International Space Station by $1.1 billion and “prioritizes the rapid development and deployment of commercial space stations, while also keeping the safe de-orbit of the ISS on track for 2030.” 

Dems reject ‘bleak’ budget

Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, ranking member on the Appropriations Committee, wrote in a statement that the budget request was “bleak and unacceptable.”

“President Trump wants to slash medical research to fund costly foreign wars,” she wrote. “It doesn’t get more backward than that, and the only responsible thing to do with a budget this morally bankrupt is to toss it in the trash.”

Murray added that she expects Congress to pursue bipartisan spending bills, just as lawmakers did during last year’s process, including investments in domestic issues. 

“This week, President Trump said that our country cannot afford to help families with child care or health care—but his own budget proves what a ridiculous farce that is,” she said. “Imagine how many families we could help if, instead of giving the Pentagon more money than they can even figure out what to do with, we cut people’s heating bills in half and made child care affordable for every family in America.”

Senate Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., wrote in a statement the request lacks detail for programs that run outside of the annual budget and appropriations process, like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. 

“Going back decades, presidents have sent to Congress detailed budgets with 10 years’ worth of detailed plans – outlining their approach to tax policy and our growing debt, as well as the solvency of our biggest programs like Medicare and Social Security,” he wrote. “This budget doesn’t do any of that. It’s just an out-of-touch plea for more money for guns and bombs, and less for the things people need, like housing, health care, education, roads, scientific research, and environmental protection.”

Minnesota Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum, ranking member on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said the Pentagon doesn’t have an issue with how much in taxpayer money lawmakers allocate, but “a problem with efficiently spending the funding that Congress has provided them – and accounting for it.”

“The President’s request for $1.15 trillion in defense spending is outrageous and unacceptable, especially when President Trump and Congressional Republicans intend to make further cuts to critical services that Americans rely on at home,” she said. “Our nation cannot be secure without investments in our country’s critical health care, education, nutrition, and infrastructure.”

CONCORD, N.C. — School transportation leaders across the country are bracing for continued financial strain as flat federal funding, shifting state policies and rising operational costs converge to create what an industry expert described as a “fiscal cliff.”

During the first day of the STN EXPO East conference, Tim Ammon, owner of Ammon Consulting Group and a longtime industry insider, warned that school districts are entering a period where funding uncertainty and reductions are colliding with increasing expenses, which will impact transportation departments.

“Flatline funding associated with increasing cost is, in effect, a cut,” Ammon said, noting that federal education appropriations remaining steady year-over-year fail to keep pace with inflation and rising service demands.

While federal funding accounts for roughly 10 percent to 15 percent of school district budgets, the remainder comes from state and local sources — both of which are facing growing funding uncertainty. Meanwhile, transportation makes up around 10 percent or less of the overall district budget. Declining income tax revenues at the state level and widespread property tax reform efforts are expected to reduce or constrain funding streams that districts rely on.

COVIDE-era Funding Runs Out

At the same time, pandemic-era relief like federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds are expiring, removing a critical financial cushion many districts used for staffing and operations. Ammon emphasized that the combined effect is forcing school systems to reconsider how they deliver services.

“What we will be thinking about … is how do we have to manage services to reflect a set of cost increases that are outstripping the available funding that we’re getting?” he asked.

Transportation departments often operating on tight margins are particularly vulnerable. Rising fuel costs are also adding new volatility, with some districts already reporting budget concerns tied to the War on Iran’s impact on oil prices.

Compounding the issue are demographic trends. Declining student enrollment in many regions is reducing funding tied to the number of students while not necessarily lowering transportation costs. In fact, data Ammon presented showed that in districts with declining enrollment, 83 percent still experienced rising transportation expenses.

“Your job doesn’t get easier because there are fewer kids. It gets harder,” Ammon said, pointing to longer routes, dispersed populations and unchanged service requirements.

Policy changes are also reshaping the funding landscape. The expansion of school choice programs and private school vouchers means funding increasingly follows students out of traditional public school systems. This reduces district revenue while leaving many transportation obligations intact.

Additionally, mandated services such as special education transportation and McKinney-Vento services for homeless students continue to grow, further straining limited budgets.

Ammon described the current environment as a convergence of multiple pressures: Funding reductions, policy shifts and operational changes. Together, these factors are making long-term planning more difficult and increasing the likelihood of significant service adjustments.

Districts may soon face tough decisions, including reducing routes, consolidating stops, adjusting bell times or even eliminating buses. In more severe cases, school closures and major system redesigns could follow.

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Related: Industry Veteran to Address Student Transportation Funding Uncertainty at STN EXPO East

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“I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but it’s coming,” Ammon said. “Somebody [will be] coming down the hall and saying … ‘I need you to cut 10 buses next year because we’re going to get less funding.’”

Explore Alternative Funding

To prepare, transportation leaders are encouraged to better understand their funding sources, track enrollment trends and collaborate more closely with district planners. He also suggested exploring alternative service models and reevaluating traditional routing strategies to improve efficiency.

Ultimately, the message is clear: School transportation is entering a period of structural change. Those who proactively adapt to evolving financial realities may be better positioned to maintain service levels, while others risk being forced into reactive, and potentially disruptive, decisions.

As Ammon noted, the challenges are not isolated to specific regions or district sizes but represent a broader, systemic issue facing public education nationwide.

Article written with the assistance of AI.

The post Funding Uncertainty, Rising Costs Intensify Pressure on School Transportation Operations appeared first on School Transportation News.

WASHINGTON — The two chambers of Congress, both controlled by Republicans, were at odds Friday over how to fund the Department of Homeland Security, prolonging the shutdown that began in mid-February. 

The Senate voted before dawn to approve a funding bill that would have reopened every agency within the department impacted by the funding lapse. But that legislation didn’t include additional money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Border Patrol.

House GOP leaders, infuriated by their colleagues’ decision to leave out that money, didn’t put it on the floor for a vote. They chose instead to take up an eight-week stopgap spending bill for the department, which has little chance of moving through the Senate.

The House bill passed on a 213-203 mostly party-line vote. Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, North Carolina Rep. Donald Davis and Washington Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, all Democrats, voted with all Republicans present. The Senate bill passed by voice vote, with Democratic support. Both chambers are now out of session for a two-week spring break. 

The development reduces hope for the tens of thousands of federal workers within DHS who have gone without a full paycheck since the stalemate began when Senate Democrats demanded new constraints on immigration enforcement after federal officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as Customs and Border Protection have been largely exempt from the impacts of a shutdown since Republicans approved tens of billions for their operations in their “big, beautiful” law. But federal workers throughout other DHS agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Secret Service and Transportation Security Administration, haven’t been in the same situation. 

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced in the afternoon the House would not even consider the Senate-passed funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, and would instead vote on a temporary measure that would run through May 22.

“We’re going to send that over to the Senate and we hope that they’ll accept that,” Johnson said.

President Donald Trump hasn’t weighed in publicly on whether he would sign either of the bills, if they ever reach his desk, and the White House did not respond to a request for comment. But Johnson said Trump backs House Republicans over the Senate. 

“I spoke to the president a few moments ago,” he said. “He understands exactly what we’re doing and why, and he supports it.”

Trump signed an order Friday that would provide pay for TSA workers, which a senior administration official said would come from Republicans’ signature tax and spending bill. A DHS spokesperson, in an email, said that TSA workers should see paychecks as early as Monday.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote in a social media post that any stopgap bill to fund DHS “that locks in the status quo is dead on arrival in the Senate, and Republicans know it.”

“We’ve been clear from day one: Democrats will fund critical Homeland Security functions—but we will not give a blank check to Trump’s lawless and deadly immigration militia without reforms,” Schumer wrote. 

Overnight Senate vote

The Senate approved a modified DHS spending bill by voice vote around 2:30 a.m. Eastern after a week of mounting pressure on lawmakers to end the stalemate that has led to hourslong wait times in airport security lines.

The Senate-passed DHS bill didn’t include funding for ICE or Border Patrol. GOP lawmakers signaled ahead of the vote they’ll try to pass another boost in funding for immigration enforcement and deportation in a second party-line package later this year.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said during brief floor debate that funding DHS through a “piecemeal” approach wouldn’t have happened if Democrats handled negotiations differently.  

“They wanted reforms to Immigration and Custom Enforcement, and Republicans offered to give that to them,” he said. “The White House made offer after offer putting forward a robust list of additional reforms. And Democrats just kept moving the goal posts, and today they just walked away.”

Democrats, he said, “might think twice before” before they tried to use this as a campaign issue during November’s midterm elections, when voters throughout the country will decide whether Republicans keep both chambers of Congress.

“We could be standing here right now passing a funding bill with a list of reforms, if Democrats had made the smallest effort to actually reach an agreement, but they didn’t, because it’s now clear to everyone, Democrats didn’t actually want a solution,” he said. “They wanted an issue, politics over policy, self-interest over reform, pandering to their base over actually solving a problem.” 

Schumer said the bill to fund most of DHS “could have been accomplished weeks ago if Republicans hadn’t stood in the way.” 

“Democrats held firm in our opposition that Donald Trump’s rogue and deadly militia should not get more funding without serious reforms, and we will continue to fight for those reforms,” he said. 

More money for immigration deportations pledged

Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt said he and other Republican lawmakers would seek to bolster funding for immigration and deportations through budget reconciliation, the complex process the party used last year to approve its “big, beautiful” law.

That, he said, would allow Republicans to move funding through the Senate with just a simple majority vote, skipping the procedural steps that would otherwise require 60 senators to end debate on a bill. 

“To my Democrat colleagues, this bill is the moderate option. What’s coming next is going to supercharge deportations,” he said. “To my Republican colleagues, let this be a rallying cry every time the Democrats obstruct the safety of American families, the wall gets 10 feet higher and ICE gets another $100 billion.”

New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim said Democrats have been clear for months they would “not support providing more funding for ICE without also including common sense reforms to rein in the abuses we have seen in Minnesota and elsewhere, particularly after two Americans were shot and killed.” 

“All we’ve been demanding here is what the American people are demanding — body-worn cameras; no masks; keeping ICE agents out of our hospitals, schools and churches; and ensuring ICE follows the same practices and procedures as local law enforcement,” he added. 

‘Republicans have relented’

Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, wrote in a statement that earlier negotiations included “proposals to expand the use of body-worn cameras; limit civil immigration enforcement in sensitive areas such as schools and hospitals; increase oversight of detention facilities; and implement visible officer identification.”

“While Republicans worked in good faith to try to reach agreement, Democrats remained intransigent and unreasonable with their list of demands,” she wrote. 

Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash., wrote in a statement that since “Republicans have relented” lawmakers were “on track to fund the areas we agree on and get TSA agents paid, get our airports moving again, and fund important disaster relief and cybersecurity work.”

“But it is a shame that instead of working with Democrats to land the plane on several common-sense reforms to ICE and Border Patrol that the White House had already agreed to, Republicans walked away from constructive conversations and ultimately rejected some basic steps to reform these agencies,” she wrote. “I will keep fighting to secure real, meaningful steps to help rein in these rogue agencies—we just need Republicans to join us.”

Learn more about our upcoming April magazine, inflation and fuel prices, internet for school buses, record revenue for Zum, district efforts amid ICE enforcement, and a driver dressing to impress.

Michael Signer, chief policy and legal officer for EverDriven, discusses the evolution of alternative student transportation from safety and regulatory perspectives to help school districts meet student needs alongside yellow buses.

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School transportation departments navigate constrained budgets, staffing challenges and rapidly evolving technology that rely on procurement tools: Request for Information (RFI), Request for Proposals (RFP), Request for Bids (RFB) and pilot programs.

Using those tools properly yields optimal results. RFIs help districts—particularly large ones—understand market capabilities before committing to specifications.

RFPs allow districts to evaluate solutions based on expertise, implementation plans and long-term value utilizing a scale or scoring system for multiple companies offering similar products or services. Factors include sustainability, customer support and training. RFBs are critical for standardized purchases, ensuring transparency, fairness and fiscal accountability through objective competition. Bid specs yielding the most results consider the operational needs and what problem needs resolution.

Industry consultant Alexandra Robinson noted an RFI is a fact-finding process to ask questions, research the product and conduct demonstrations. These findings result in writing the RFP or RFB. The proof is in the real-world pilot test of the solution.

A School Transportation News reader survey last year indicated 32 percent of transportation directors and supervisors engage in pilot programs. Thirty-five percent said they submit an RFI prior to submitting an RFP. Software provider Transfinder noted it participated in 217 percent more RFPs in 2025 than in 2024.

Ashley Jones, assistant director of special projects for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) transportation department in North Carolina, noted challenges faced in preparing for an RFP process include the hurdle of balancing the wish list of operations and maintenance with budget restraints.

“We also struggle with ensuring what we buy today won’t be obsolete in two to three years,” she added. CMS released an RFP in December for transportation telematics service and hardware, to improve upon GPS tracking, driver behavior metrics and on-time arrival rates. The district formed an RFP team including transportation operations, IT team members and finance. “This prevents us from buying a software solution we can’t support or maintain,” Jones said.

CMS utilizes a weighted scoring rubric that considers pricing, experience, specific vendor offerings, and references. It holds a pre-bid meeting internally but not publicly for potential companies placing a bid, Jones noted.

“This is included in the bid and part of our scope of work,” she added. “Vendors can ask additional questions during the process if needed.”

The decision to bid is based on several review meetings involving the CMS internal transportation team to determine basic needs and potential operational gaps.

“Before drafting the scope of work, the team collaborated to categorize requirements into fundamental needs versus additional capabilities,” said Jones. “Key drivers identified for this included the benefit of an accurate telematics platform including the essential need for accurate reports for bus arrivals, the desire to improve transparency between parents and school transportation, and the requirement for advanced diagnostic tools to streamline workflow for the maintenance team.”

When developing specifications, it is crucial to ensure a district is requesting technology that is current and open to competition, Jones noted.

“Specifications must be developed from market research, pilot program opportunities and the internal transportation team,” she added.

A standardized amount of bonding and insurance is required of all vendors. Onsite maintenance is handled through an internal team for oversite. The bid winner produces a maintenance and return merchandise authorization plan.

Jones noted each vendor has different parameters regarding their product warranties. This information is included in the grading rubric and considered during bid awards. To ensure system effectiveness, the RFP includes a mandatory continuation plan.

“We require the selected vendor to assign a dedicated, full-time employee to oversee the entire initial rollout,” Jones said. “The dedicated support must continue for an additional six months to facilitate continuous training for staff and immediately address software or hardware issues that may occur in the rollout period.”

Daniel Kang, Los Angeles Unified School District transportation director, noted a source selection committee was established in the district’s most recent RFP for upgraded GPS, tablets and camera systems.

The committee of subject matter experts from dispatch, technology, fleet, and the deputy director interviewed those who already utilize the top three scoring systems.

“Having direct conversations with fellow school districts allowed for honest feedback,” noted Kang. Key questions addressed the system’s highlights, outstanding concerns, whether the district would purchase the product again, and lessons learned.

When Austin (Texas) ISD put out an RFP in 2017 for stop-arm camera technology, it included a request for a six-month pilot program “to see how they would perform—the technology, reporting system, our interaction with our police department,” said Kris Hafezizadeh, Austin ISD executive director of transportation and vehicle services.

Austin ISD used the previous solution until last April, at which point district officials released another RFP to review other existing technologies, vendors and opportunities, using similar specs from the first RFP.

Hafezizadeh assembled a panel including transportation, law enforcement and legal representation to observe a presentation by top vendors, awarding the contract after school board approval to BusPatrol effective last May 1.

Hafezizadeh noted the district’s procurement office handles much of the RFP details: Writing the correct specs, considering the technology involved, and others involved in the process.

The district’s panel viewed proposals using Bonfire procurement technology, a cloud-based platform offering online solicitation, submission contract evaluation and management, and vendor performance. Hafezizadeh said RFP priorities were customer service, quality and responsiveness followed by financial and technical aspects.

“If you’re dealing with a district [of] our size, we are not awarding something to a company that may not know anything about [the issue] and are still trying to get the experience,” he said.

The contract stipulates Austin ISD gets 65 percent of each $300 citation, and BusPatrol gets 35 percent. “With the stop-arm cameras, we want the highest revenue shared with us, and the best technology and process as possible,” Hafezizadeh said.

Equipment, installation implementation and maintenance is no cost to the district, said Hafezizadeh, adding funds from the citations are used to pay police officers for time they invest in approving or disqualifying violations as well as the appeal judge the district hires to hear monthly appeals.

Hafezizadeh noted support requires attending community and PTA meetings and discussions with local and state legislators. The Austin ISD web page outlines the stop-arm law and consequences when motorists are cited.

In creating specs, Hafezizadeh said he wants a turnkey operation, including maintenance. Also, key are the implementation timeline and training bus drivers on the technology.

The RFP also addresses district and vendor responsibilities regarding financial matters, bonding and insurance. The process includes what kind of insurance the company needs to have to be qualified to send its proposal. When a video camera is not working properly, BusPatrol is tasked with sending a maintenance team to check on its status and make repairs. Hafezizadeh serves as project manager. A district police chief serves as a direct contact for violations, hearings or legal issues.

In its contract, BusPatrol indicated what it will take care of in the case of a collision, such as if a camera is hit and damaged.

“They replace it,” Hefezizadeh said. “The equipment belongs to them.”

As part of a continuation plan, he meets with BusPatrol bi-weekly to review previous months’ reports and discuss topics such as providing more community educational opportunities.

Ohio Pilot Programs Target Improved Reliability, Efficiency

As student transportation professionals across the country grapple a host of challenges, two pilot programs in Ohio seek insights into how to improve access, reliability and cost-effectiveness in pupil transportation.

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) said the pilot programs aim to inform future strategies and guide the development of comprehensive solutions to address ongoing absenteeism, high transportation costs, outdated student rosters, noncompliance with individualized education programs (IEP), and reliability and efficiency.

Established under the 135th General Assembly’s House bills 33 and 250, the programs are designed to explore alternative transportation methods and address inefficiencies in the current system. ODE established the pilots for the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio (ESCCO) and the Montgomery County Educational Service Center (MCESC). They launched the pilots for the 2024-2025 school year. In a program summary, ODEW said both organizations are tasked with identifying students facing transportation difficulties, arranging approved vehicles for eligible students, and ensuring compliance with transportation requirements for students with disabilities as outlined in their IEPs.

ODEW funds the programs by deducting the statewide average cost per student—$1,214.29 for fiscal year 2025—from participating districts’ state transportation payments. Additionally, the educational service centers received federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief grant funds to support transportation expenditures.

The MCESC pilot program, branded as Ride Smart Ohio, focuses on using alternative vehicles with a capacity of nine passengers or fewer, according to ODEW.

The program not only provides transportation for students but also creates flexible income opportunities for teachers, staff and community members. Ride Smart Ohio utilizes advanced software from Trust-Ed to ensure a secure and user-friendly system, empowering school staff to play an active role in transportation efforts.

In fiscal year 2025, MCESC received over $493,000 in funding for the pilot program. For fiscal years 2026 and 2027, the program will receive $250,000 annually to continue its operations.

As of November, Ride Smart Ohio entered service contracts with six districts, including West Carrollton, Mad River, Valley View, Northmont, Oakwood Schools, and Dayton Public Schools. Seven active drivers currently provide daily transportation for 13 students, including seven who attend Ohio Deaf and Blind Education Services.

The program has prioritized safety and compliance, completing 100 percent of vehicle inspections and driver physicals before the school year began. Updated driver training modules have been implemented to align with state rules. Looking ahead, Ride Smart Ohio plans to recruit and onboard new drivers, enhance data reporting, schedule refresher training, and review fleet management before winter maintenance.

The ESCCO pilot program, which concluded last June, focused on providing transportation for Columbus City Schools. During its operation, 23 drivers transported 60 to 65 students to three community schools. The program received over $5 million in funding for fiscal year 2025.

ODEW highlighted key findings in September. It found that participating students saw improved attendance, averaging 13 more days in school compared to the previous year. Non-school bus transportation using smaller vehicles proved effective and reliable, but the cost of third-party contractors was significantly higher—more than five times the amount received through state transportation funding.

Additionally, outdated and inaccurate student roster information from schools created delays and extra work. Despite these challenges, families and community school participants expressed high satisfaction with the program state funding model.

Editor’s Note: As reprinted from the March 2026 issue of School Transportation News.

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We discuss the potential impact of the national jobs report on school district budgets, the DOT’s non-domiciled CDL final rule and cutting-edge technology takeaways from the Geotab Connect conference. 

“It’s all about service: I went from servicing my country to now servicing my community.” Bernando Brown, director of student transportation for DeKalb County School District in Georgia, shares how his military experience shaped his work ethic, leadership style and focus on training and mentorship. He also discusses handling retention, budgeting and operational challenges.

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The post (STN Podcast E294) Boots to Buses: Military Formed Georgia Student Transportation Leader appeared first on School Transportation News.

We cover a harsh winter ice storm, takeaways from the 2026 NSTA Midwinter Meeting, updates to the U.S. EPA’s Clean School Bus Program and illegal passing by Waymo autonomous vehicles.

Industry consultant Tim Ammon gives tips for transportation budgeting and business efficiency while maximizing educational access for students. He will lead sessions at STN EXPO East this March in Charlotte-Concord, North Carolina.

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STN EXPO East speakers will not only speak to present day challenges, but how today’s changes could affect student transportation, most notably a potential redirection of educational funding.

The Fall 2025 Fiscal Survey of the States conducted by the National Association of State Budget Officers found that expected fund spending in 23 states will either drop or stay flat in fiscal year 2026. Tim Ammon, owner of Ammon Consulting Group with 25 years experience in the student transportation industry, will present “Navigating the Funding Cliff” session on Friday, March 30 during the STN EXPO East conference. He plans to address the reassessment, realignment and expiration of funding options by the federal and state government and how they will directly impact the funds used for transportation.

Another hot topic in the industry is enrollment changes, which Ammon will discuss regarding how they specifically affect transportation due to funding models, zoning changes, and school site closures. Being aware of these trends as well as economic shifts can aid transportation as Ammon will explain how any necessary budget redesigns and cuts may look different based on district needs and unique situations.

In an era of constant change and oftentimes a feeling of “doom and gloom,” Ammon plans to provide a candid view of potential impacts, how they could affect various states, and what districts might need to do to trim budgets or allocate funds differently. Industry professionals won’t want to miss this informative session to prepare their budgets for the 2026-2027 school year.

Register by Feb. 14 to save $100 on conference registration. The STN EXPO East conference will be held March 26-31 at Embassy Suites by Hilton Charlotte Concord Golf Resort & Spa in North Carolina. Find the conference agenda, exhibitor lists, and hotel information at stnexpo.com/east.

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State funding of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has been reduced by more than $100 million per biennium in the past 30 years.

A key factor: smaller debt payments.

DNR received $334.3 million in state general purpose revenue in the 1995-97 state budget and $226.2 million in 2025-27.

That’s a reduction of $108.1 million, or 32%.

Between the two periods, debt service dropped from $234.7 million to $103.4 million. 

A Wisconsin Reddit user posted Nov. 22 about the cuts.

A 2023 report on DNR by the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum said those savings have been used to fund Medicaid, K-12 schools, prisons and tax cuts. Republicans have controlled all or part of the state budget process for all but one cycle since 1995.

The DNR is charged with protecting and enhancing air, land, water, forests, wildlife, fish and plants and provides outdoor recreational activities.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: 1995-97 Wisconsin State Budget
• Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: 2025-27 Wisconsin State Budget — Natural Resources
• Wisconsin Policy Forum: This Land Is Our Land
• 2025-26 Wisconsin Blue Book: The Executive
• 2025-26 Wisconsin Blue Book: Wisconsin governors since 1848

Has biennial state funding for the Wisconsin DNR dropped by $100 million over 30 years? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.