Catholic school students’ parents cite safety concerns
By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
Students attending Catholic or charter schools could have a maximum 70-minute ride to or from school under a policy suggested Monday night by the public schools’ Board of Education.
Parents, school officials and bus company businessmen first want to huddle to consider ways that might make transportation easier and safer immediately. They primarily want to discuss returning to a system that splits the township geographically and uses one bus in each section to carry both elementary and high school students to Somerville-area schools.
That was the historical pattern until this year. Since school started in September, however, one bus going to Immaculata High School picks up all township teenage students in an earlier route, and a slightly later route takes younger children to Immaculate Conception in Somerville and St. Ann’s in Raritan.
The school district, which is required to bus or provide a maximum of $884 per year per student, has been grappling since May with the problem of transporting students to Catholic schools, said board member Greg Gillette.
At the request of parents, the school board delayed Monday night in introducing a policy limiting bus rides to 70 minutes. A new district transportation coordinator starts work Monday, and the board wanted her to have at least a week to review the impact of a policy change.
One parent said his high school-aged son must be at his bus stop by 6 a.m., meaning he’s up by about 5 a.m.
Parents had concerns with safety as much as the time spent on the bus. Parents described situations in which children were walking alone on the streets for long distances, or crossing four-lane roads without police or crossing guards. Snow and the change to Daylight Savings Time could compound those factors.
Parents said they saw buses allegedly speeding on Route 206 trying to get to the schools on time.
Splitting the township geographically for busing purposes could also keep older and younger children in families together.
Business Administrator Aiman Mahmoud said he thought the contractor would want to help solve safety issues. Since the business and school have a contract, there may be a limit to the number of changes that could be made without needing to rebid the service.
A 70-minute limit could put about 20 students in line to receive the aid instead of the busing. By law, public school districts must transport non-public school students, but are also required to keep the cost to an average of $884 per pupil. Every student that is removed from the busing list and given in-lieu aid would cost the district budget $884, the total could reach more than $20,000.
A combination of factors conspired this fall to reduce the number of buses that can be afforded to take about 130 students.
In order to provide some level of busing, the school district arranged central pickup/dropoff points for some students. That may require them to be at a bus stop by 6 a.m. and get home at 4-4:30 p.m. — too early or too late for many parents.
One factor in the change of systems this year was elimination of bidding the service in tiers that allowed a company’s buses to operate one bus in an area to take students to a public school, and then use the same bus and driver in the relatively same area to transport Catholic school students. Companies saw savings in the arrangement, and made lower bids.
The routes were separated because the public school’s transportation supervisor said buses were arriving late at dismissal time at the public intermediate school. Some school officials disputed the tardiness claim by the transportation supervisor, who has since left on her own volition for another job.
Superintendent Jorden Schiff said the district wanted to resolve issues efficiently, effectively, safely and with shorter rides. He said he wanted to make aid in lieu of busing "the exception, not the rule."