Post by title1parent on Oct 14, 2009 5:18:01 GMT -5
'Efficient' bus policy eliminates routes, upsets Dist. 87 residents
By Marco Santana | Daily Herald 10/14/09
A disagreement about bus service to Glenbard North High School now is in the hands of the state transportation department.
Glenbard High School District 87 board President Rose Malcolm told parents Tuesday the board would hold to its decision to cease bus service in the Newport Village subdivision, which is located more than one mile south of the school.
That means the Illinois Department of Transportation now must decide whether the newly proposed route - which zigzags through the neighborhood on nine streets - constitutes a safety risk. The state must determine the risk by the end of October, or, as mandated, within 30 days of the board submitting its findings.
Residents contend the streets, particularly Kuhn Road leading up to the school, don't have adequate or well-maintained sidewalks or street lighting. But Malcolm said during the meeting that students have walked down Kuhn Road since the school first opened in 1968.
The board eliminated or redrew several routes throughout the district leading up to the recent approval of the new budget.
"We had a goal of becoming efficient in some areas, and our bus policy was one of those areas," she said. Redrawing bus routes throughout the district saved $200,000.
However, she said statements that accused the board of putting money ahead of safety were not true.
"To say we don't care about the children is wrong," she said.
The flap began when the school district implemented new software for measuring distances during the summer. New measurements showed that many residents had been receiving the bus service despite falling within a 1 1/2-mile threshold the state uses to determine reimbursement. Some of the routes had been in existence for about 20 years.
However, some residents have fought the ruling, maintaining that when several Web sites were used, the number always came out to 1 1/2 miles or above.
The school's new GPS-equipped VersaTrans system, for example, placed Barbara Brooks' home at 1.4 miles. Brooks said several of her checks ended up with higher numbers, and she accused the board of skewing results in favor of saving money.
"The numbers are being manipulated to the financial needs of the district, not the needs of our children," she told the board.
Brooks said if the state rules against the residents, she would continue to do what she can to work with local lawmakers to fight for the route's reinstatement.
"If we lose them now, we lose them forever," she said after the meeting.
By Marco Santana | Daily Herald 10/14/09
A disagreement about bus service to Glenbard North High School now is in the hands of the state transportation department.
Glenbard High School District 87 board President Rose Malcolm told parents Tuesday the board would hold to its decision to cease bus service in the Newport Village subdivision, which is located more than one mile south of the school.
That means the Illinois Department of Transportation now must decide whether the newly proposed route - which zigzags through the neighborhood on nine streets - constitutes a safety risk. The state must determine the risk by the end of October, or, as mandated, within 30 days of the board submitting its findings.
Residents contend the streets, particularly Kuhn Road leading up to the school, don't have adequate or well-maintained sidewalks or street lighting. But Malcolm said during the meeting that students have walked down Kuhn Road since the school first opened in 1968.
The board eliminated or redrew several routes throughout the district leading up to the recent approval of the new budget.
"We had a goal of becoming efficient in some areas, and our bus policy was one of those areas," she said. Redrawing bus routes throughout the district saved $200,000.
However, she said statements that accused the board of putting money ahead of safety were not true.
"To say we don't care about the children is wrong," she said.
The flap began when the school district implemented new software for measuring distances during the summer. New measurements showed that many residents had been receiving the bus service despite falling within a 1 1/2-mile threshold the state uses to determine reimbursement. Some of the routes had been in existence for about 20 years.
However, some residents have fought the ruling, maintaining that when several Web sites were used, the number always came out to 1 1/2 miles or above.
The school's new GPS-equipped VersaTrans system, for example, placed Barbara Brooks' home at 1.4 miles. Brooks said several of her checks ended up with higher numbers, and she accused the board of skewing results in favor of saving money.
"The numbers are being manipulated to the financial needs of the district, not the needs of our children," she told the board.
Brooks said if the state rules against the residents, she would continue to do what she can to work with local lawmakers to fight for the route's reinstatement.
"If we lose them now, we lose them forever," she said after the meeting.