Figures for three towns are given by school district
By John Tredrea
The regional school district would save an estimated $406,888 next year if the school board follows through on its controversial plan to eliminate school busing for all students not entitled to it under state law, school officials say.
School district spokeswoman JoAnn Meyer said Monday that, of the estimated 822 students slated to lose busing next September, 555 live in Hopewell Township. Eliminating their bus service would save the district $291,557.
Another 263 students who would lose bus service live in Pennington. Eliminating their service would save the district $112,767. Most of the Pennington students affected by the impending bus cuts attend Timberlane Middle School and Hopewell Valley Central High School. To reach those schools from Pennington, they must cross Route 31 at its congested intersection with West Delaware Avenue.
Only three Hopewell Borough students are in line to lose bus service. If they do, that would save the district $1,564.
The school district currently transports 2,735 general education students to and from school each day at an expense of $1.63 million, Ms. Meyer said. Of this number, 822 students are provided nonmandated busing, meaning the State of New Jersey does not require busing, nor does it provide state aid for it, because these students live within two miles of their elementary school or two and a half miles of their secondary school. It is these students who are slated to lose their bus service next year.
Under state law, the cost of providing the bus service for these students could be paid by municipal governments. Families of those bused are another possible funding source.
This year, the school district eliminated busing for approximately 200 elementary students who live within two miles of school. These students live in the Brandon Farms and Penn View Heights developments of Hopewell Township. Their busing has been referred to as nonmandated courtesy busing, because in the view of school officials the route they walk to school is safe. A number of school parents whose children have lost courtesy busing service have stated publicly that their children’s walk to school is not safe.
In August, school board President Kim Newport wrote a letter to the Valley’s three mayors, notifying them of the board’s plan to discontinue busing for the estimated 822 students next year. These students are in addition to the 200 who have lost busing this year. The busing the 822 students receive is referred to as hazardous busing, because in the view of school officials the routed these students would have to walk to school is dangerous.
Ms. Newport cited increased mandates, frozen state aid, and increases in fixed costs as reasons why the board’s budget can no longer afford the annual recurring cost of nonmandated hazardous busing.
According to Ms. Newport, "municipalities have the option of building sidewalks and bike paths, a one-time expense for which some grant money is likely, whereas the only option a board of education has is to transport by school bus year after year at taxpayer expense."
Township Deputy Mayor David Sandahl recently expressed skepticism about the validity of the idea of building sidewalks, saying it would take years to do and cost millions of dollars.

