Planning School Desegregation: A Working Note. Final Report.

A methodology for busing to achieve school desegregation is described. Two different approaches are proposed: a student interracial contact score and a quota method. Travel time and number of children bused are proxies for busing costs. Useful data include travel time, school capacity, and student residences for each region and level of school. A higher ceiling on individual travel time allows greater balance within the area. For example, when contiguous districts are added, busing 25% of the students can achieve 95% desegregation with a 45-minute upper limit as opposed to 90% with a 35 minute upper limit. Portable classrooms are not very helpful nor is splitting schools into smaller grade spans. For the sample city, cost of raising desegregation from 41% to 85% was $16 million ($25 per student). The critical factor in reducing costs is the greater use of each bus by shorter trips and an efficient system of staggering school starting hours. Alternatives to daily busing are described. (DJ)