CYPRESS, Texas (KTRK) — Things will look different as Houston-area students return to school this year.
With local districts facing more than $850 million in budget shortfalls, districts are making substantial cuts to staffing and services.
ABC13 visited Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District’s Arnold Middle School on Monday after a concerned parent reached out.
The district asked Amanda Pallanez’s 12-year-old daughter to walk 1.9 miles to the school. Most of the route has no sidewalk and weaves along busy roadways lined with drainage ditches.
SEE ALSO: Cy-Fair ISD will cut more than half of librarian positions due to $138 million budget deficit
The bus route is one of 79 the district cut this school year, chipping away $4.8 million of its approximately $140 million deficit. The routes eliminated were those not required by law.
Below is a copy of the district’s new criteria for busing:
The route cuts also impact Mary Freeman’s grandson. She told ABC13, “I don’t think it’s possible at all (to walk).”
In a question-and-answer sheet that the district’s transportation department shared with families, the department wrote:
Question: “What path should my student take to walk to school? What if there are no sidewalks? Are they going to walk through the ditch? What are students supposed to do when inclement weather exists during arrival or dismissal times?”
Answer: “Walking is not the only alternative for getting to and from school if bus service is not available. The parent/guardian is responsible for selecting a safe method of transportation for their child.”
Pallanez, a paralegal, showed ABC13 three job offers she has turned down within the past month. She said she must now work remotely to drive her daughter to and from school.
“I have four kids that I’m trying to provide for, between me and my husband,” she said, acknowledging that it’s a financial burden for the family that not everyone can shoulder.
“It’s not just me. I’m fortunate to have a great support system,” she said. “I don’t think (the district) thought this out.”
Budget shortfalls occur throughout the region and state for several reasons.
Some, such as declining attendance, vary by district, whereas others are universal, such as state funding, which, according to the Texas Education Agency, has been dropping for the past decade when accounting for inflation.
“I would just basically say that money is not worth a child’s life and safety ultimately,” she said.
SEE MORE: Cy-Fair ISD anticipates $73.6M budget shortfall due to inflation and lack of state funding
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