School Bus Service Restored For Some LEUSD Kids

It was standing room only Monday night at the Lake Elsinore Unified School District headquarters as nearly 100 people turned out to hear if there would be yellow buses running when school starts Aug. 13.

After hearing comments from a handful of concerned parents, the Lake Elsinore Unified School District governing board approved a plan that will temporarily bring back school bus service for some students. In February, the district voted to eliminate bus service based on budget cuts out of Sacramento.

Monday’s plan restores busing to more than 2,000 kids in the district, but service will only cover geographically remote areas or those neighborhoods that pose great risk to students who might walk or bike to school.

The areas to be served include:

The Farm (approximately 209 students, grades K-12)

Ortega Hwy. (approximately 40 students, grades K-12)

Horsethief Canyon (approximately 191 students, grades 9-12)

City of Canyon Lake (approximately 611 students, K-12)

Meadowbrook and Greenwald (approximately 257 students, K-12)

Sedco Hills (approximately 129 students, grades 6-8)

Canyon Ranch (approximately 89 students, grades K-5)

Canyon Ranch (approximately 40 students, grades 6-8)

Canyon Hills (approximately 112 students, grades 9-12)

Canyon Estates (approximately 75 students, grades 6-8)

Grand Avenue between Jamison St. & Shoreline Dr. (approximately 121 students, K-8)

Grand Avenue between LVS & Pederson (approximately 87 students, grades 9-12)

The Grove (approximately 38 students, grades K-5)

Tuscany Hills (approximately 74 students, grades 6-8)

Clinton Keith (approximately 124 students, grades K-12)

District officials plan to make more information available to parents regarding specific addresses that will be served.

All special education students will continue to be served in the district.

Bus passes will be available for one semester only (August—December) at the current price of $175 per semester, avoiding any fee increase for now.

District Assistant Superintendent George Landon said the district is taking a wait-and-see approach regarding busing for the second half of the 2012-13 school year due to budget concerns.

“We don’t want this to be a one-semester issue,” Landon said.

Based on 2011-12 school year numbers, the partial restoration will serve about half the number of kids who rode the bus last year.

Board members Tom Thomas and Stan Crippen were absent Monday.