School bus pass goes up to $400 a year

What happened

On June 18, 2026 the board approved raising the annual home-to-school bus pass fee by $50, to $400 a year, up from $350, effective July 1, 2026. Chino Valley runs a fee-supplemented transport programme that families pay into; the board first set it up in 2003 and has raised the fee periodically for fuel and other costs. District staff estimated the increase would cut about $15,000 from the roughly $9,000,000 that home-to-school transport draws out of the general fund each year.

Why it matters to families

This is a direct out-of-pocket cost for every family whose child rides a district bus, and it takes effect at the start of the 2026-27 school year. The $50 rise is about 14% more than last year. It also shows how small the fee is against the real cost of running buses: even after the increase, transport still pulls about $9 million a year out of money that would otherwise go to classrooms.

The evidence

The June 18, 2026 board agenda packet contains the staff item 'School Bus Pass Fee Adjustment', which states the current fee is $350.00 per bus pass, recommends an increase of $50.00 to a total of $400.00 effective July 1, 2026, and gives the fiscal impact as an estimated $15,000.00 reduction to the $9,000,000 General Fund encroachment for 2026/2027. The approved June 18, 2026 minutes record item III.D.7. as approved on the consent calendar 5-0.

The source