School bus costs rise as more students homeless

MERIDEN — Among the challenges stemming from a rise in student homelessness, local officials say, is the need to transport students to and from school regardless of where they’re living, especially when those students find shelter outside the school district.

“We have provided transportation as far as Norwich,” said David Cardona, transportation manager for Meriden Public Schools, which saw a 31-percent increase in students facing homelessness seeking transportation since last year. “It’s not just surrounding towns but students from all over the state who were enrolled in the school district prior to becoming homeless.”

Out of a total of 88 Meriden students experiencing homelessness in the current school year, 35 needed transportation services, up from 24 in 2022-23. The district has provided transportation to students living in Bloomfield, Middletown, Wallingford, Waterbury and other towns.

No extra transportation is needed for homeless students residing in Meriden. An extra bus stop is added to an existing route through the district’s bus service.

Under federal law, school districts must ensure that students facing homelessness are provided transportation to their school of origin as required by the 1987 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

“It is to help ensure that the student receives as little disruption as possible during this challenging time,” Cardona explained.

Last year, the school district spent $248,000 on transportation for students outside the district. The cost so far for 2023-24 is $372,000, according to Assistant Superintendent Michael Grove.

He says it usually costs between $200 to $300, sometimes exceeding that number, for transportation services per student per day. The district has to find vendors including vans, buses and car services who are willing to transport students to Meriden. The challenge has been finding vendors to transport the students.

Previously it would take between two to three days to find a transportation service, according to Grove. Now, it can take up to a week for students to receive transportation.

The transportation costs are split evenly between the student’s district of origin and the district where the student currently lives. The $372,000 cost Grove cited in the current year’s budget reflects Meriden’s portion alone.

Fluctuation in the number of students facing homelessness makes budgeting for transportation difficult, officials said.

According to Grove, the board will take that into consideration for the 2024-25 school year budget due to the influx of homeless students this year.

Documenting student homelessness

Grove said the 88 students that have been identified as homeless since August 2023 is up from 73 in 2021-22.

Although fewer Connecticut students were homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic, data from the State Department of Education shows that the number of homeless students rose during the 2021-22 school year.

In the Meriden school district, when a teacher or educator becomes aware of a student facing homelessness, they notify a designated homeless liaison. There is one liaison at each school in the district and it is their responsibility to discreetly contact the family to get an understanding of the situation and see how the district can help.

According to Grove, many of the students facing homelessness over the past year are from families that have been evicted from their homes due to rising rents.