After mounting criticism over school bus drivers running red lights, controversial bus cameras and an agency accused of overextending its authority, it's time to "abolish" Dallas County Schools, area lawmakers say.

Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, and Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, filed a bill Tuesday that would eliminate the agency and move area school districts to new providers for transportation and other services.

"The students of Dallas County have been exposed to danger," Huffines said Tuesday at a news conference in Austin, noting unsafe driving and special education students who have been left behind by bus drivers.

"It's dangerous for students and certainly a rip-off for Dallas County taxpayers."

Huffines said schools that use DCS services -- primarily for transportation -- should be able to find new providers by the 2018-19 school year.

Huffines has been one of the most vocal critics of DCS, alleging the agency has mismanaged nearly $45 million in funds. He said Superintendent Rick Sorrells could not answer basic questions about the agency during a summer hearing.

"I don't know if it's ignorance or incompetence or intentionally misleading" the agency to the brink of collapse, Huffines said of the superintendent. "They are in crisis mode."

Sorrells joined bus drivers and DCS board president Larry Duncan at a press conference in Dallas to defend the agency and its leadership. Sorrells said he had no plans to resign at this time despite calls from some area lawmakers for him to do so. He said he was focused on the future of the agency.

"We've been told it would be catastrophic for the children and for the school districts for us to simply disappear," Sorrells said.

Duncan did not say whether Sorrells still has the DCS board's support.

"At this time, we're all working together to solve the challenges we face," said Duncan.

Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas told KXAS-TV (NBC5) that he agrees Sorrells should step down, but he does not support Huffines' bill calling for the agency's dismantling.

"I understand his frustration [Huffines] and I agree with him. But I don't necessarily believe at this point in time that we need to do away with the agency," West told KXAS. "All of this happened under his [Sorrells'] watch. You need to have a change in leadership because ... there's not any confidence at this point in time."

Sorrells said he recently met with West to discuss DCS challenges and plans to meet with him again to discuss concerns. Sorrells stressed that the agency's current financial trouble isn't a "crisis" but a budget issue that DCS is addressing. He said DCS has hired an outside investigator to look at the agency's finances and has so far found no money missing.

"There is no money lost. There is a budget issue and the budget is inflated," he said. "We'll be fine. We'll be moving forward."

He noted that a financial adviser has been hired to help restructure the agency's debt within the next week or so. That will be complicated by this month's downgrade of the agency's bond rating by Moody's, dipping to the lowest investment grade of Baa3.

DCS serves as the bus contractor for the Aledo, Carrollton/Farmers Branch, Cedar Hill, Coppell, DeSoto, Dallas, Highland Park, Irving, Lancaster, Richardson, Weatherford and White Settlement independent school districts. It also provides technology and other services for some districts.

DCS is one of two countywide school systems operating in the state. Though it doesn't operate any classrooms, the public agency collects property taxes and maintains a $180 million budget to serve more than 450,000 students across Dallas county.

The agency has been under fire since reports that bus drivers were running red lights and that DCS was using taxpayer money to pay the fines. Some area districts were also concerned about students being picked up late by DCS buses.

Dallas ISD recently renewed its contract with DCS, but only for a limited time. The district expressed many concerns and added accountability measures.

Others — including Huffines — have been concerned about the agency's work in counties far outside Dallas, including controversial cameras on school bus arms that allows the agency to fine drivers who pass stopped buses in approved cities.

DCS officials recently agreed to cut its stop arm camera program in areas outside of Dallas County.

The agency recently began cutting staff amid the turmoil, and its interim financial director suddenly resigned in February.

Sorrells defended a recent $30 million bus purchase that was criticized because it moved forward amid financial strain and before a contract that would have helped pay for the buses was finalized. Sorrells said the agency would spread out payments of the buses over a longer period of time to ease financial burdens.

Sorrells also defended money DCS donated to the White Rock Lake Foundation, where he recently served as president. He said the money was well spent because the agency was able to promote DCS' services through the foundation, exposing it to potential clients.

Duncan insisted that Huffines' efforts were part of a larger movement to undermine public education and cut resources. He pointed to a video recorded Monday showing Huffines clashing with Richardson ISD teachers and students over a voucher-like bill.

"Yesterday, he showed his true agenda when he disparaged PTA parents and students who were just advocating for public education," Duncan said.

At his press conference, Huffines apologized for the heated exchange saying his tone and approach were out of line.

But he referred to the teachers as part of a leftist group, saying the students attending were not the issue.

"The students in the room generally behaved. I wish I could say the same for the adults."