District puts brakes on school bus service

To offset a shrinking budget and high fuel costs, the Moorpark Unified School District will discontinue bus service for students at Moorpark and Community high schools during the 2008-09 school year.

The decision was made by the school board earlier this year, and some parents are still trying to find safe and reliable transportation options for their high school youngsters by Aug. 27, when classes begin.

The reduction in bus service, which decreases district transportation costs by $138,000, is part of $3 million in cuts to essential student services throughout the district, said school officials. The district will be able to maintain transportation services for younger students.

"This keeps us from having to cut someplace else," said Larry Brown, district assistant superintendent of business services.

Between 2007 and 2008 the district spent almost $1.2 million on transportation, but received only $186,000 from the state for that purpose. Supplemental grants and money from other funding sources were used to help offset costs, but transportation still is a major encroachment on the school budget, Brown said.

"Those are dollars we could be spending in the classroom."

Moorpark High has about 2,400 students. Fewer than 250 took the bus to school last year. The bus cancellation doesn't apply to special education students, for whom the services are federally mandated, Brown said.

Families of students who aren't on the free or reduced lunch program pay $170 per semester to use the school bus service both ways.

Although one parent suggested that the district should charge a higher fee, Brown didn't think that would work.

"Many people would drop from the service, so the fees would continue to go up and in the end no one will want to ride the school bus," he said.

Some parents are caught in the middle of a difficult situation, said Michele Orgel, a Peach Hill resident who had planned for her daughter to use school-provided transportation this fall.

Orgel has explored several options, including public transit and carpooling, she said, but there are problems. She's learned that city buses don't have the capacity for a large number of students, and she hasn't found other parents available for carpooling. Many of her neighbors instead have their older children drive their younger ones to school.

Ordinarily, California law doesn't allow drivers under 18 to have passengers without the presence of someone who is 25 or older. However, there are exceptions to the rule, said Capt. Cliff Williams of the Moorpark California Highway Patrol.

The vehicle code states that when reasonable transportation options are inadequate, provisional drivers can take siblings to school. They need a signed statement from parents and, in certain cases, a school official, indicating they have permission to do this, and stating when the necessity will end, Williams said.

"It doesn't hurt for parents to help officers by referencing the section in the vehicle code," said Williams, who did this for his own daughters when they attended high school in Thousand Oaks.

Riding a bicycle or walking to school also creates concerns, Orgel said.

"There are going to be hundreds of students who will be all over the streets, walking, on bikes and in cars, who were formerly safely on their way home in the buses," she said.

School trustee Mindy Yaras said the school district is at the mercy of state legislators who haven't even passed a budget yet.

"Of course we want to accommodate families with transportation, but we had to scrutinize expenditures and take a look at everything," she said.

Councilmember Mark Van Dam, who has two students in the district, said kids need a way to get to school safely and on time.

"I completely understand the funding dilemma that the school has and that they have to make cuts. However, a plan should have been devised between the city and district prior to canceling the high school transportation," he said.

Although city transit may fill the gap for some people, Moorpark can't take up the slack to accommodate a large number of students.

"We don't have the buses," said Hugh Riley, assistant city manager for Moorpark.

"If parents think transportation is a priority, they should insist upon it so school officials reevaluate their priorities and make cuts elsewhere," said Councilmember Keith Millhouse.

Brown suggested that parents look at all options.

"The school district isn't expecting the city to take over the slack. Public transit is just another option besides carpooling, walking or biking to school," he said.