Rising Transportation Costs
At a Glance
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~$2.53M 2025 transportation spending |
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+70% Increase since 2017 |
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$1.55M State funding gap, 2020–2024 |
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$487K Gap in 2024 |
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79% Share of 2024 cost covered by the state |
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Rising Costs Series See how rising costs and state funding gaps are affecting the district budget.
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Rising Costs Series
Rising Transportation Costs
Getting students to and from school safely costs more every year, and the state covers less of it. Transportation includes drivers, fuel, bus maintenance and transportation insurance.
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2017 to 2025 Transportation spending is up about 70% BISD spent about $2.53 million on pupil transportation in 2025, up from about $1.49 million in 2017. Since 2020, state funding has fallen $1.55 million short of actual costs. |
Nine Years of Transportation Spending
| 2017 | ~$1.49M | — | |
| 2018 | ~$1.58M | +6% | |
| 2019 | ~$1.80M | +14% | |
| 2020 | $1,846,428 | +3% | |
| 2021 | $1,525,719 | -17% | |
| 2022 | $1,846,340 | +21% | |
| 2023 | $2,009,387 | +9% | |
| 2024 | $2,329,983 | +16% | |
| 2025 | ~$2.53M | +9% |
Annual pupil transportation expenses and change from prior year. Amounts marked ~ are approximate, read from the OSPI chart. The 2021 dip reflects remote learning during the pandemic.
State Funding vs. Actual Cost
State funding BISD’s actual cost − Gap
| 2020 | $1,794,863 | −$52K | |
| $1,846,428 | |||
| 2021 | $1,031,534 | −$494K | |
| $1,525,719 | |||
| 2022 | $1,632,829 | −$214K | |
| $1,846,340 | |||
| 2023 | $1,701,680 | −$308K | |
| $2,009,387 | |||
| 2024 | $1,842,555 | −$487K | |
| $2,329,983 |
What’s Behind the Gap
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1
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Costs keep climbing Spending dipped in 2021 during remote learning, then rose every year after, from $1.53 million in 2021 to about $2.53 million in 2025. |
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2
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The state covers less of it In 2020 the state covered 97% of BISD’s transportation costs. By 2024 it covered 79%, leaving a $487K gap. |
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3
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Fuel and more Transportation costs include driver salaries and benefits, fuel, bus maintenance and repair, and transportation insurance. |
Why It Matters
Every dollar the district spends to cover a state funding gap is a dollar that can’t go to other student programs and services.
Sources: OSPI Financial Services data, Activity 50 Pupil Transportation, Bainbridge Island School District, 2017–2025; BISD “Gaps in State Funding” analysis, 2020–2024. Gap = BISD’s actual cost minus state funding.