5 BWLSD bus drivers RIF’d at special board meeting

Thursday, July 29, 2010

By LENNY C. LEPOLA
News Assistant Managing Editor

During the Monday, July 12, Big Walnut Local School District Board of Education meeting district treasurer Felicia Drummey and Big Walnut Transportation Supervisor Jodie Clark used a PowerPoint presentation to compare the Big Walnut busing model as it exists today with busing in other school districts in Ohio with similar demographics and budgets.

Drummey and Clark also outlined potential savings if the district were to adopt a new busing efficiency model, and described state minimum busing standards the district might be forced to adopt if the district’s revenue stream does not improve.

During a special board of education meeting on Wednesday, July 21, board of education members discussed transportation issues and approved a resolution to eliminate five bus driver positions for the 2010-11 school year. The five bus suspended driver contracts affected drivers Gregory Morris, Gerlinde Borchers, Dell Ann Kuhn, Sally Krinn and R. Arthur Dunkle.

With the elimination of the five bus driver positions, Big Walnut will adopt the new busing efficiency model beginning with the 2010-11 school year. That model also includes transporting only students that live more than a one-mile walking distance from a school, and declares certain non-public transportation practices impractical, for a net budget savings of $244,278 per year.

During that July 21 meeting Big Walnut superintendent Steve Mazzi said the district is trying to determine the safest options available for district students, and balance those options with the district’s financial realities.

“It has always been our philosophy to provide bus service to every student in the school district, but its time now to look at every cost-saving measure available to us,” Mazzi said. “If, down the road, we decide we want busing to be all-encompassing again, we’re going to have to admit that that money will have to come from somewhere else.”

District transportation supervisor Jodie Clark said the transportation of daycare students within the district is still under review, but added that state law does not require busing service for daycare students.

“We will look for some way to maintain some non-public transportation without cost to the district,” Clark said. “But they’re not included in state law because daycare service providers are for-profit organizations.”

Clark said one way to lower busing costs and increase state busing funding is to increase ridership on individual buses on individual routes.

Currently the district transports 29 high school and middle school students per bus route and 38 elementary school students per bus route. (Clark explained that 72-seat school buses never transport 72 students because of state seating arrangement safety standards).

During the 2009-10 school year route times averaged 45 minutes. By eliminating five buses, adopting a one-mile eligibility zone, and increasing route time to one hour the district will transport 46 high school and middle school students per bus route and 57 elementary students per bus.

Clark said to increase bus efficiency by increasing the number of route stops per bus, most students living on cul-de-sacs will have to walk to the head of a cul-de-sac to be picked up, and many students living on subdivision side streets will have to walk to the subdivision feeder road.

“State law says students can walk up to one half mile to where their school bus picks them up,” Clark said. “I can see that happening district-wide, but we will take into consideration some safety issues.”

Clark said the district is also examining the past practice of multiple pickup and drop-off locations for some students before and after school on different days of the week for efficiency and safety concerns.

“We know that parents work and so many other factors come into play, but the safest for us as a district is to pick-up and drop-off students at their residence and nowhere else,” Clark said. “We are looking at making considerations for alternate stops on an existing route to and from school if space is available on a bus, but students originally assigned to the route will come first.”

Clark said under normal circumstances the district transportation office needs special transportation requests at the beginning of the summer, but with the mid-summer change to the new efficiency busing model parents with any special 2010-11 school year requests should contact the transportation office immediately.

Both Mazzi and Clark said trying to put more students on each district bus is complicated by uncertain enrollment.

“Typically accurate enrollment numbers will not be known until August,” Mazzi said. “We may add a bus back in once we know how many new students are moving to the area and the number of private school students who are returning to district schools.”

Board member Pam Lillie said she understands that some parents will object their children being subjected to a one-hour bus ride.

“But we live in a large, spread-out school district,” Lillie said. “Bus routes are going to be longer than if you live in Westerville. When you move out here you’ve got to accept that.”

Lillie said students rarely would do homework on a school bus ride.

“They’ll sleep or listen to their iPods,” Lillie said. “But if they’re listening to iPods at least they’re quiet.”

Mazzi said that safety issues raised by longer bus rides still need to be discussed.

“We will need to come up with a consistent policy of what we will do and will not do, but classroom behavior is expected on district buses,” Mazzi said.

Mazzi also said the RIF’d bus drivers will remain on the district driver’s sub list.

“But it’s sad,” Mazzi added. “These five people are excellent drivers. This is not about the drivers you want to keep or let go, it’s based on seniority.”

Clark said the district transportation office is working on a student transportation handbook.

In other business, board members rescinded the athletic supplemental contract for Melissa Maxson for the 2010 Girl’s Soccer Season. Mazzi explained that Maxson accepted a teaching position with Canal Winchester and would be unable to maintain the Big Walnut soccer practice and competition schedule.

For additional information go to the Big Walnut Local School District website at < http://www.bigwalnut.k12.oh.us/ >.