The board of trustees has been presented 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, the district is holding a public forum on April 19 to discuss the available options.

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. The district would provide public-transportation 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 districtwide, which would save about $840,000 a year and affect almost 1,700 students.

The district says it is pursuing budget cuts in the wake of declining enrollment, which has led to a decrease in state funding. By closing Randol and Cory elementary schools and Steinbeck Middle School next fall, district administrators expect to save an estimated $1.9 million per year.

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.