Tavares, FL - Sept. 3, 2013
Update on Lake County FL School Busing cuts and possible reinstatement:
The Lake County School District Board met
today at 2pm to discuss what to do about "courtesy busing" based upon
feedback from many parents. This is where the District
needed to reduce their budget and by eliminating bus transportation for
students living less than 2-miles from their school, they could save
$650,000. However, this affected 4,000 students and 150 angry parents
showed up at last week's Board meeting to protest the cuts. At today's
Board meeting, they didn't vote to reinstate the buses, but did vote to
move forward on providing buses for kids who must walk through hazardous
conditions to get to school. Hazardous means situations like no
sidewalks (responsibility of the County and Cities, not schools),
crossing six lane highways or crossing roads with average traffic
exceeding 45 or 55mph. However, once the "hazardous" conditions are
fixed, like added sidwalks or crosswalks, or even crossing guards, the
kids will lose the busing services. However, the Board is also
planning to research and possibly implement paid busing like Broward
County. More details and discussion are planned for next Monday's
workshop or meeting. So, buses won't be reinstated unless conditions
are hazardous (which also qualifies for State funding to fix the
problems).
The vote was 3-2, with Kyleen Fischer and Bill Mathias voting against the motion. Fischer wanted to reinstate all busing, and Mathias wanted busing reinstated to all "hazardous" locations, and not to non-hazardous locations. Those voting for the motion were Tod Howard, Debbie Stivender and Rosanne Brandeburg.
I videotaped the entire meeting in two parts:
Part one is here: http://youtu.be/aJSHbsPSAIs
Part two is here: http://youtu.be/KMJJT8RmEBo
Update at midnight - Here is what School Board member Tod Howard posted on this Facebook page today after the meeting:
Summary update for the Special Meeting on courtesy busing:
I made a motion to create a pay to ride option along with redefining
hazardous walking conditions that would go above and beyond the state
definition. The motion included 2 specific definitions which would
require busing with the recomendation for other board members to add to
the definitions next Monday. The hazardous definitions were as follows:
1. Students crossing 6 or more lanes of traffic.
2. Students crossing a road with both a speed limit of 55mph or greater AND lacks a crosswalk.
The motion passed 3-2.
I made a motion to create a pay to ride option along with redefining hazardous walking conditions that would go above and beyond the state definition. The motion included 2 specific definitions which would require busing with the recomendation for other board members to add to the definitions next Monday. The hazardous definitions were as follows:
1. Students crossing 6 or more lanes of traffic.
2. Students crossing a road with both a speed limit of 55mph or greater AND lacks a crosswalk.
The motion passed 3-2.
vj
