Politics & Government

Cuts To LEUSD School Bus Service Prompt Discussion

Lake Elsinore Mayor Brian Tisdale brought together officials to help mitigate the community's school bus dilemma.

Officials representing seven agencies from across the county came to Lake Elsinore Wednesday to discuss the elimination of school bus service next year in the Lake Elsinore Unified School District.

Representatives from the cities of Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, and Canyon Lake, along with officials from the Lake Elsinore Unified School District, Supervisor Bob Buster’s office, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, and the Riverside Transit Agency turned out for a roundtable discussion organized by Lake Elsinore Mayor Brian Tisdale at the city’s Cultural Center on Main Street.

In total, more than 25 officials were present for the discussion.

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In the more than 40 years that he has served in education, LEUSD Superintendent Dr. Frank Passarella said he had never seen such an impressive gathering of representatives coming together to discuss a critical issue.

The public meeting was designed to bring about solutions to the bussing crisis in the LEUSD. Bus service for special needs students is not affected by the cuts.

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The draconian measure was triggered by Governor Jerry Brown’s proposal to cut next year.

Although funding for home-to-school transportation could be returned in Governor Jerry Brown’s final budget due out in June, the local officials acknowledged Wednesday that the yellow school bus will likely be absent this fall.

“Sacramento can’t pass down money they don’t have,” Dr. Passarella said. “I’m not optimistic that the bussing money is going to come back.”

Dr. Passarella, along with several LEUSD officials, reminded the group that districts statewide have been forced to eliminate bus service or are looking to make drastic cuts.

“This transportation issue is not new,” said Michael Taylor, LEUSD executive director of Fiscal Support Services. He suggested the group identify districts where cuts to bus service had minimal impact on students.

Primary concerns raised Wednesday about elimination of home-to-school transportation in the LEUSD next year were student safety, minimizing traffic at and around school sites, preventing student drop out, and giving working parents options.

Dr. Passarella said he looked at data on average daily attendance (ADA) and dropout rates in districts where bus service has been cut.

“ADA has not gone down,” he said.

Regarding the impact of increased traffic at school sites due to more parents dropping off and picking up kids, LEUSD governing board member Tom Thomas reminded the group that out of the 22,000 district students, 3,984 use home-to-school transportation.

“That’s roughly 18 percent,” Thomas said, noting that it averages to about 200 kids per school. With carpooling and a likely increase in students walking or riding their bikes to campus next year, Thomas estimated on average schools might expect 40 to 60 more vehicles picking up and dropping off.

As concerns and issues were brought forward, many ideas surfaced, including:

  • Find grants to fund some safety projects along school routes: Construction of new sidewalks, bicycle lanes, installation of lighted speed signs, and more traffic enforcement at school sites were all discussed. Some sidewalk projects are already ongoing in Lake Elsinore and Wildomar, and the installation of lighted speed signs is underway in Lake Elsinore. Road striping for bicycle lanes and more traffic enforcement in Lake Elsinore are being considered.
  • LEUSD Assistant Superintendent Greg Bowers said he is committed to holding monthly public safety committee meetings to focus on improved traffic circulation around school sites.
  • Organize carpools and walk-togethers using the PTA and the LEUSD.
  • Transition some LEUSD elementary schools to K-8. Schools under consideration include Rosetta Canyon, Earl Warren and Ronald Reagan. Through the proposed transitions, fewer families would have to pick up and drop off their kids at different schools.
  • Tweaking school boundaries to promote “neighborhood schools,” so kids don’t have to travel so far to get to class.
  • Promoting existing daycare and afterschool programs at the school sites -- which currently run from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on many campuses -- and giving parents more options by looking at possible new programs. “There are resources available,” Dr. Passarella said.
  • Examine the possibility of opening a gate at Canyon Lake so resident kids who walk to school can more easily access their campus.
  • Riverside Transit Agency officials offered several existing options, including a $35 monthly youth pass for RTA busses – the passes are good for transport anywhere RTA travels. The officials also said bus stops are located within less than a mile from well over half of all LEUSD middle and high schools.
  • It was suggested that the district consider implementing a “bar code” system whereby students carry cards to be scanned at school; parents would be subsequently alerted when their kids arrive safely on campus.

LEUSD spokesman Mark Dennis agreed to be the point of contact for the various agencies as they work through the issues. A next meeting is expected to be scheduled some time in June.


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