Deptford Township School District cutting back on busing, consolidating bus stops for new school year
DEPTFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- A Gloucester County school district is cutting back on bus stops, leaving many families scrambling to figure out how to transport their children to and from school this year.
Superintendent of Deptford Township School District, Kevin Kanauss said this effort is projected to save over $1.6 million for the district annually.
Under the district's new decision, students will only qualify for busing if they live beyond the minimum distance to the school's property line, depending on the school the child attends. Students attending early childhood, elementary or middle school in the district, must live over 2 miles from school.
High school students must live 2.5 miles away from the high school. Students with disabilities will be provided with transportation to and from school, according to their Individualized Educational Plan.
However, parents of students who live within the 2-2.5 miles of their schools can also opt into subscription busing for $365 per year.
Parents and students can also expect updated bus schedules and combined bus stops. The district said bus stops will be consolidated into central neighborhood locations.
"Please know that I could not, in good conscience, continue maintaining the same practices that have pilfered our budget and transportation department in recent years," Kanauss wrote in a letter to parents in the school district.
According to Kanauss, this transportation services update will lessen the burden on the Deptford fleet of bus drivers and limit the district's need to contract with an outside bus service to just PreK transportation and a few rides out of the district.
The letter to parents explains the district hasn't received any funding from the New Jersey Department of Education to transport students within the 2-2.5 mile radius. Kanauss adds the average cost to bus a student is $735 per school year, which he said, adds up to a $1.36 million loss for the district.
But where will the money saved from the cutting bus stops go?
According to Kanauss, the funds saved will help them maintain and increase teaching staff, academic programs, classroom resources and student support, plus, provide more support for security and renovations.
A Board of Education meeting will held on Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 6:30 p.m. to give parents a full presentation of the new transportation services layout. The meeting will be at the Deptford Middle School cafeteria.