Board of Education Discusses Transportation Options

The Board of Education took a look at the pros and cons of offering a streamlined form of busing during its .

 The consensus?

Adding in a system where students would have to meet at bus stops would drastically raise costs and still wouldn’t be convenient for many families.

The district cut high school busing last school year to save costs. According to the analysis Superintendent Scot Prebles shared with the board on Monday, the district spent about $300,000 less on busing in 2010-2011 than it did in 2009-2010 – even as gas prices went up.

But members of the community have expressed concern with the cut, so the district looked into another option.

Prebles called the option the “RTA model.” In it, high school students would gather at the end of main roads and wait for the bus, rather than getting picked up at their homes. The plan’s estimated cost of $2,314,000 would bring it very close to the 2009-2010 figures, nearly erasing the savings.

And Board Member Alan Scheufler pointed out that the routes would still leave large areas of both cities without a nearby stop. Students would still have quite a way to walk – or parents would still have to drop them off.

The positives would include reducing traffic and increasing safety by removing student drivers from the roads, Prebles said. But there would be safety concerns related to students congregating in large groups and to students walking on dark, snowy mornings.

The board’s discussion of the issue was short and no action was taken.