Saugus board restores previous busing levels

SAUGUS – The Saugus School Committee voted 4-0 to reinstate school busing to its previous 2010-2011 levels, one week after the Transportation Subcommittee recommended the change.?I?m thrilled,” said Newhall Avenue resident Linda Glick, who?s 8-year-old grandson Max is going into the third grade. “It was a safety issue and now we don?t have to worry about it. We came, we came as a community and as a family ? and we said what was on our mind and the School Committee listened.”Parents will now be able to pay a $360 fee for busing regardless of grade level or distance. A third bus costs $80,000 and Director of Finance Sam Rippin said he?s hoping to get at least 70 parents to sign up to generate $25,000, with the remaining $55,000 coming from the transportation revolving account.However, Rippin said taking money from the revolving account poses a risk, especially if fewer than 70 parents sign up.?If we only 15 people who pay, then we?d have to take $75,000,” said Rippin. “There?s currently $97,000 in there and there?s other expenses that are earmarked to be funded out of there.”The revolving account helps pay for other transportation expenses like out-of-district busing.The original plan to reduce busing stems from the town level-funding the school?s budget this year. While the district was given the same budget as last year, costs increase by $1.2 million from the previous year due to contractual obligations.Superintendent Richard Langlois introduced a three-tiered reduction plan to cut $1.2 million from the school?s budget, but the passing of the one-time tax assessment gave the schools an additional $700,000.Busing, however, was at the very top of the list of cuts, and the School Committee was set to provide only two buses for grades K through 8 at the state minimum of two miles or more. The district would have needed at least 60 parents to pay $800 each to pay for a third bus this year, but as of last week, only 13 signed up.Last year the schools provided three buses at $80,000 each and any parent who needed a bus could pay a $360 fee. Parents will now be able to pay this original fee, however, it will only be a one-year fix, and School Committee member Tom Stewart said they will have to look at other options next year.?The next step is we really need to talk about looking at our district for the elementary schools,” said Stewart. “There are some district lines and question whether or not they make sense. If we?re going to talk about transportation we have to talk about the district lines.”