This year the school board trimmed busing costs and announced they’d no longer provide “curb service.” Annual costs were cut from $49 million to $47 million, the number of buses lowered to 684 and students in gated communities started being picked up at the entrance. “Makes sense,” I thought so I decided to dig a little more.

It didn’t take long to discover some startling facts. Annually, county school buses traveled over 12 million miles, consuming 13,000 gallons of fuel per day. Assuming a discount rate of $3.00 per gallon, that costs $39,000 per day or roughly $7 million a school year. More prudent use of buses could result in significant savings, and more dollars that could be shifted to the classroom.

Walk into a fine restaurant. Play golf on an outstanding course. Go to a top-notch beach. Regardless where you go, you’re struck by the same impression: We live in paradise — a world-class community!

That’s what new superintendents Kamela Patton in Collier County and Joe Burke in Lee County thought until they read district reports.

I raised my eyebrows while skimming a recent News-Press supplement - 20 pages of public school bus schedules. I wondered if all the routes were necessary. Then I read the editorial "School bus change a good idea."

Come to find out the 20 pages were the good news. The district had trimmed busing costs and would no longer provide "curb service." Costs were cut from $49 million to $47 million and the number of buses lowered to 684.

Over the last decade school choice drove decision making in Lee County schools. Incremental changes produced a standardized elementary school curriculum, specialized high schools, tailored programs for those with special needs and centers of excellence. And stable leadership ensured the movement away from the court-ordered busing requirements of the past.

Recently, The News-Press exposed an issue that has been brewing around Tice Elementary for some time. Rumors started flying four years ago when Superintendent James Browder cited Tice as a school for possible closure. No plans to bus students from Tice to nearby schools were ever submitted. And the principal was assured by the superintendent that the school would not be closed.

Lee County schools are far different than they were 10 years ago. There's a broad array of high schools (the arts, comprehensive, vocational and International Baccalaureate) with diverse offerings. There's a standard curriculum in the elementary and middle schools. Student minority enrollment is almost 52 percent and more than 70 percent of the students receive free or reduced-price lunch.

"Reserves help district avoid cuts" headlined the Local and State section of The News Press on Jan. 12. The subtitle revealed the board's plan to use $15 million in reserves to cover the 2012 shortfall.

What's better than a world-class school system? Can you imagine a community where students exceed state and local norms? How about a place where parents are actively engaged in the educational process? Can you picture schools where teachers and students work together to exceed expectations? Sound like utopia?

The changing of the guard in the public schools provides Lee County School Board with an opportunity to rethink existing policy. But, for board members to effectively fulfill their primary task of hiring a new superintendent, they must first come to terms with the issues.