PROVO -- The results of a new audit have forced the Provo School District to scale back bus routes, but officials say children who have benefitted from hazardous route busing will not be left out in the cold.

Greg Hudnall, director of student services for the district, said the district and others around the state have routinely had unauthorized stops on bus routes, such as at day care or the Boys and Girls Club.

"As a district, we've always tried to accommodate parents the best way we could," he said.

However, a recent audit from the Utah State Office of Education left the district little choice. Either the unauthorized routes must be removed, or the district will be paying for them on its own. With a bad economy, a $4.5 million budget cut district-wide and $200,000 cut from transportation alone, Hudnall said the district had to make adjustments to make ends meet.

"They basically said, 'Fix it, or you won't get reimbursed for your mileage,'" he said.

The district eliminated two routes, while combining others and eliminating unauthorized stops to places like day care and the Boys and Girls Club. Hudnall said the elimination of bus service to some students has been a nightmare. However, in a tough economy, the money the district would spend on an unauthorized routes needs to be spent in the classroom.

"I think all the parents are very understanding," he said. "They're just worried about their child's safety."

Officials will be monitoring routes over the next few weeks to make sure they are safe for students. The district has decided not to eliminate any busing for routes they have deemed hazardous, such as the walk across Geneva Road to Lakeview Elementary and across Highway 89 to Spring Creek Elementary. These routes are not paid for by the state, and Hudnall said the district is trying to figure out how to pay for them.

"We don't know yet," he said. "We're still working on it."

Some steps have already been taken to move money around, such as eliminating some athletic transportation and support staff, as well as raising the cost for transportation during school hours, which schools pay for individually.

Hudnall said the changes have been frustrating for parents, and the district understands the concerns. Two routes were completely eliminated, including a bus parents paid for to take their children from Grandview Hill to Lakeview Elementary. Although parents paid a lot of money for the service, Hudnall said the district was still supplementing the service, and the bus is needed elsewhere now.

About a dozen other children will not be bused because new streets have been built that makes their route to school shorter than the mile and a half minimum for elementary school and two mile minimum for secondary.

Phil Lott, director of transportation services for Provo School District, said there has been concerns from parents, but it has largely died down since the start of the school year Wednesday. Although some parents worried about the hazardous routes, Lott said he has gotten many more calls about how far their children walk to bus stops now. Instead of a stop one block away from home, some students may be walking three or four blocks. Lott said parents want to be able to see their kids at the bus stop, but the stop can legally be a mile and a half away from their home.

"This appears to be what parents resent," he said.

Murrell Martin, pupil transportation specialist for the Utah State Office of Education, said the audit done on Provo School District is a random audit that every district receives some time. Though the district did well, some routes needed to be altered to save money and be more efficient. Martin said the amount of money Provo will save is not clear, but it is significant.

"It would be several thousand dollars for each bus route," he said.

Most of the changes that were ordered were things that happen every year, but Martin said some new plans are in the works due to the slow economy. Districts are being advised to stagger their bus schedules to save money, and the staggered schedules could be a mandate in the future. Staggering bell times at schools can dramatically impact families, but Martin said it also saves on the number of buses needed.

"We are seeing a lot more looking at that very carefully right now," he said.

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