Worthington school board members this week mulled over a new "transportation action plan" that could eliminate busing for some elementary school and middle school students who live within 1.5 miles of their schools.

The plan also could change two "late-start" elementary schools to "early-start" schools.

George Joseph, executive director of administrative services, and George Sontag, director of transportation, presented the plan to board members at a meeting held Monday, Feb. 14 at the Worthington Education Center.

The action plan is based on recommendations made by Ohio Auditor of State Mary Taylor in a performance audit requested by the district last year.

Taylor's recommendations included revising the board's transportation policy to adopt state minimum requirements for bus service levels and to modify policy guidelines to grant management the right to make exceptions to those requirements in high-traffic areas.

Vicki Gnezda, the district's director of communication, said the state requires transportation of students in grades K-8 who live more than 2 miles from school. State minimums do not require transportation for high school students, except for a shuttle to vocational schools.

Per state law, districts are required to transport students with special needs.

The performance audit suggested the district could reduce up to nine buses with a redesign of the routing system.

Joseph said transportation administrators identified three areas to consider: establishing minimums for transportation of students to nonpublic schools; adjusting start and end times for two elementary schools; and exploring changes to current bus routes at some of the schools.

The district currently transports 318 nonpublic school students to a variety of parochial and nonpublic schools at a cost of $567,445. They also receive some reimbursement from the state for that transportation.

Information in the plan stated administrators determined it "impractical to provide transportation for bus routing under 10 students." Changing the policy to limit bus routes to 10 students or more per route, and paying each family $178 in lieu of transportation, could save the district $214,020 per year.

Adjusting the start and end times for two elementary schools, Colonial Hills and Wilson Hill, and changing their school times from what is considered "late start" -- 8:15 to 8:20 a.m. -- to an "early start" of 7:55 or 8 a.m. could reduce two or three bus routes and drivers, resulting in a cost savings of more than $100,000 a year, according to the action plan.

"We have communicated with building principals and are currently in the process of asking parents for thoughts and considerations as we explore this concept," Joseph said.

Board policy in Worthington is to transport elementary school and middle school students who live more than 1.5 miles from school.

The district currently transports 473 elementary school and middle school students living within 1.5 miles of Liberty Elementary School and McCord Middle School, because of construction on Hard Road, the lack of safe walkways and the fact that the schools have ample space for parents to drop off students.

"The transportation department is investigating those conditions to see if any conditions have changed or what can be changed to make the walkways safe," Gnezda said.

Eliminating five of those bus runs would save $30,000 annually, according to the plan.

The district currently transports 159 high school students to Worthington Kilbourne High School who live within 2 miles of the school for the same reasons: construction on Hard Road and not enough clear walkways, Gnezda said.

Eliminating one of those bus runs would save $6,000 annually, according to the plan.

Joseph said the district has contacted the Department of Public Services in Columbus to discuss the possibility of placing pylons between Hard Road and the sidewalk under the train overpass and investigating other ways to ensure student walking safety as they investigate route changes.

The district already has made changes in transportation this year, including the reduction of one bus and driver, at a cost savings of $10,000, by allowing typical education students to ride bus routes intended for special-needs preschool students, according to the action plan.