Preston — The Board of Education decided it is not feasible for reasons of cost and logistics to expand bus transportation to additional magnet and charter schools in the region for this year and will consider revisions to board policies for future years.

The board also might consider expanding the list of designated high schools Preston students could choose, starting with Ledyard High School.

Superintendent John Welch said expanding that list would require formal contracts with any additional high schools to ensure that Preston students could attend those schools.

Ledyard High School — not including the agriscience program — is not currently a Preston designated high school, Welch said.

Students wanting to go there would have to apply and be accepted before the town approves tuition payments there.

The board held a special meeting Thursday to discuss magnet and charter school transportation issues that have become part of budget discussions this summer.

The board last week voted to reinstate magnet and charter school transportation to four schools in the region — the Science and Technology Magnet High School of Southeastern Connecticut and the Regional Multicultural Magnet School, both in New London, the Marine Science Magnet High School of Southeastern Connecticut in Groton and the Integrated Day Charter School in Norwich.

That decision covered only the current school year.

Welch told the board Thursday that the current bus schedule has 14 buses and 14 drivers, with no spare drivers, even in the event of sickness or personal days.

If one current driver is out, the bus supervisor would have to drive. If two drivers are out, then the school district would have to hire a livery service for transportation already required.

The town would need additional drivers to add magnet schools to the list.

Cost was another factor in deciding against expanding magnet school transportation.

A bus to the two New London schools was estimated to cost $300 per day, a total of $54,000 for the school year — money not currently in the $11.2 million school budget that was only approved on July 26 at the third budget referendum.

Board Chairwoman Jan Clancy raised the question of possibly adding transportation to the Nathan Hale Magnet Middle School and the STEM Magnet School, both in New London.

She also raised the question of whether the board should create a long-term policy of whether to provide transportation to regional magnet and charter schools.

Clancy said the board needs to revise its transportation policy to cover the various issues involving transportation to charter and magnet schools and to the possibility of adding other high schools to the town's list of designated high schools.

The board forwarded the issues to the Transportation Subcommittee to report back to the board at its Sept. 12 meeting or at a possible special meeting to handle the policies alone.

Board member Sean Nugent, a member of the Transportation Subcommittee, asked for financial data on the schools to be considered — including tuition costs, number of students and transportation costs.

c.bessette@theday.com