District officials have presented the board of trustees with seven options that could reduce the district's transportation budget anywhere from $200,000 to $1 million. Before the board votes on the issue on April 21, the district will hold a public forum on April 19 to discuss the available options.

According to SJUSD spokeswoman Karen Fuqua, the district wants to realize an annual savings of about $700,000 from bussing cuts. She added that the board could combine several options to reach that cost-cutting goal.

The $1 million solution would be to discontinue all transportation services at the district's middle and high schools, which would affect almost 2,500 students. On the other end of the scale, ending bus service to elementary magnet schools, would affect almost 400 students and save the district about $210,000 a year.

Other options include cutting bus service at the high school level and increasing the allowable distance students can walk to school. In both scenarios the estimated savings would be almost $700,000, and about 1,600 students would be affected.

If the board chooses the latter option, elementary school students in the district who live within two miles of the nearest bus stop will be considered within walking distance. The current allowable distance is 1.5 miles. Middle and high school students would be expected to hoof it for up to four miles instead of three.

The most complex option is a three-part "modification" of the district's transportation services that would save about $765,000 and affect about 3,400 students. This plan would eliminate school bus service at high schools but the district would then provide Valley Transportation Authority passes to eligible students. The plan also calls for a reduction in the number of bus stops serving elementary and middle school students. These students would be required to walk to the nearest school for pick-up.

The board will also consider establishing a fee for bus service, which could generate as much as $200,000 a year for the district, or discontinuing home-to-school transportation district-wide, which would save about $840,000 a year and affect almost 1,700 students.

About 4,500 students, or 14 percent of the district's total enrollment, use school bus services, Fuqua said, adding that individual schools will be responsible for mitigating any traffic problems resulting from reduced school bus service.

The district says it is pursuing budget cuts in the wake of declining enrollment, which has led to a decrease in state funding.

"Transportation is an item we've been looking at for long time," Fuqua said. "It's been at the bottom of the list, but we've cut so many areas that it's risen to the top."

No matter what cuts the board decides to make to the transportation budget, Fuqua added, students participating in the district's voluntary integration program won't be affected.

Earlier this year, the board voted to close Randol and Cory elementary schools and Steinbeck Middle School next fall, district administrators expect to save $1.9 million per year. Another move has the district combining the student populations from Allen Elementary and Randol and moving them to the Steinbeck campus.

The district is anticipating a $40.9 million cumulative budget gap over the next four years.

A public forum on the district's transportation budget is set for April 19 from 6 to 7 p.m., in the San Jose Unified School District boardroom, 855 Lenzen Ave., San Jose. The board is scheduled to vote on the issue at its April 21 meeting.