It’s always money.

When I first moved to the town I live in now, I was impressed by the all new schools. However I eventually realized they replaced a bunch of older neighborhood schools with a smaller number of bigger schools. They saved money by providing a worse educational experience and making walking less likely.

We walked to my kids elementary school but the town saved money by not plowing the sidewalks in winter, nor forcing residents to. Our walk would require walking on a major street - until my ex went full Karen and made them plow

When my kids got to middle school, we were in “walking” distance so there was no bus. However that was a full mile including crossing a six lane road whose light was always broken. We ended up choosing a private school in a different town, so there were no buses nor walkability

Regional school districts are now common. More kids goto schools that are not even in their towns