NCSD discusses charges, other bus policy issues

No decisions were on the table regarding busing at Monday night’s Newton Community School District board of education meeting, but a long discussion was held about the policy that affects transportation to and from school, and the charges to parents.

At Monday’s meeting, held in the Emerson Hough conference room, Superintendent Bob Callaghan and others led a 25-minute discussion regarding Board Policy 702.2, or student eligibility for bus service. The conversation began with discussion about fees for transporting certain students, and whether those fees should be waived, but broadened into many elements of transportation.

The district is only set to take in about $5,500 in bus fees from parents this school year, after having brought in between $12,500 and $13,000 in 2014-15.

“For grades 9 through 12, we don’t have a whole lot of students riding right now,” Callaghan said. “But with K-8, and K-6 especially, we are moving a lot of students all the way across town by bus.”

Not only is the district not bringing in enough revenue to pay for charging fees, said board member Andy Elbert, but it would simplify the registration process and make parent open-enrollment decisions easier if transportation fees were not a factor.

“It’s not worth it — for $5,000 or $6,000 — to tell parents that we’re not going to pick up their kids unless they pay us,” Elbert said.

Transportation was an important component of reconfiguration discussions held over the past couple of years. The board voted in March to reconfigure at the start of the 2016-17 school year, with four K-4 “neighborhood” elementary schools, and the Berg Complex divided into a grades 5-6 “intermediate” school to pair with the grades 7-8 Berg Middle School.

No action was taken on the policy at Monday’s meeting, as it was a discussion item only. The policy would need to be amended and read at two board meetings before it would become effective.

Policy 702.2 is somewhat driven by state law, but Newton has long had standards that end up providing transportation to more students than the state deems necessary. The state requires all K-8 students to be provided with the option of free transportation to their district-designated schools if they live two miles or farther from the campus, but Newton only requires a 1.5 mile distance.

Students who live outside the incorporated limits of Newton or Lambs Grove also receive free transportation. For students who are attending a school outside that zone, or whose address doesn’t fall within the distance guidelines, there is a $228 fee for transportation for 2016-17.

Board member Nat Clark said he is driving his children to a school because he both lives outside the 1.5-mile distance from a school, and doesn’t want to pay transportation fees to send his children to an elementary school across town. Another board member, Bill Perrenoud, said Monday’s first day of school had already led to a parent contacting him about the frustrations of having children scattered around the district.

The exception is that policy changes that lead to a student going to a different school — such as the closure of Emerson Hough as a regular school and reconfiguration in 2010 — relinquish parents from having to pay fees. Parents affected by any upcoming 2016-17 boundary redrawing not be asked to pay for transportation, if affected by the change.

Also, presumably, many students will live within a few blocks of one of the four K-4 “neighborhood” schools, within the 1.5-mile limit, and won’t need transportation in 2016-17.

Board member Donna Cook said the district should continue to transport all students who live in the district, free of charge. When asked by Board President Sheri Benson if the mileage limits might need to be looked at as well, Cook said yes, noting that 1.49-mile walk on ice and snow might seem like a long trip for, say, a first-grader.

Callaghan said there are almost always transportation issues typical at the beginning of the school year. He said one of the buses used for Monday’s first day of school ended up with 76 children on it, and a second bus was needed, as buses are only built for a maximum of 72 students.

However, some Newton busing issues are more longstanding issues. The district uses hubs as transfer points, and board member Robyn Friedman pointed out that some students have to change buses twice in order to reach their destinations.

The board might revisit the issue in the months ahead.

“I think it’s really important that we transport all students safely,” Cook said. “With the least amount of financial impact on the district as we can have, I’d like to see the board explore the ramifications of not charging any student for transportation.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com