Westbrook school officials, responding to recent complaints from parents over long bus rides, are looking into possible changes to the transportation system.
Changes could be as small as shifting a bus route here and there or as drastic as a return to the bus routes used in Westbrook before routes were combined a two years ago.
At a Transportation Committee meeting Tuesday night on the issue, attended by about 10 parents, school committee member Mary Hall said the panel would look into shortening bus rides through such actions as adjusting walking times or distances, consolidating bus stops, adjusting distances between stops and establishing express bus routes.
Transportation Director Penny Esposito said the school department would also investigate lessening the length of bus rides. That could include redistricting, altering all bus routes again or purchasing new buses.
Two years ago, the school department altered the bus routes to improve efficiency. However, that change increased average bus rides from about 25 to 30 minutes to about 40 to 45 minutes, according to Esposito.
With the possibility of a new junior high school being located on Stroudwater Street, lengthy bus rides some children are experiencing is becoming a hot topic in the city. Some children already ride the bus as long as 55 minutes either in the morning or afternoon, according to some parents. Those parents are worried the situation will be even worse if the junior high is built on the south end of the city.
At Tuesday’s meeting, several parents expressed concerns about how long their kids rode the bus every day, and made suggestions for changes.
Wes Douglass, whose fifth-grade daughter rides the bus 50 minutes in the afternoon, said he thought the school department should establish a maximum time each student should be on the bus. He said it was particularly important that younger kids not ride the bus for extended periods.
Another parent, Tami Blake, agreed, saying she thought younger kids are tired mentally before even getting to school after long bus rides. She also said her children are less interested in talking about what they learned at school after a long bus ride has distracted them from their day.
John Poitras, a school committee member, said he was against setting a maximum time rule because it might encourage drivers to take risks they wouldn’t normally take to ensure the ride gets in under the limit.
“When you’re watching the clock, that’s when you make mistakes,” said Poitras. “You can’t put time limits on safety.”
City Council President Brendan Rielly, speaking as a parent at the meeting, said he would like to see a return to rides of about 30 to 35 minutes. He suggested re-instituting the bus routes used by the city prior to the change two years ago. Rielly said he has heard from a lot of parents with concerns similar to his.
One of those parents, fellow City Councilor Suzanne Joyce, said Tuesday that her son sometimes rides 55 minutes home from Congin School in the afternoons.
“I think we can achieve (a shorter ride) without sacrificing safety,” she said.
Esposito said she thought getting each student’s ride down to a maximum of about 30 minutes would require the purchase of possibly six new buses. The buses would cost about $75,000 a piece, plus at least $24,000 a year for each driver’s salary, Esposito said, and there would be no reimbursement from the state.
According to School Superintendent Stan Sawyer, the city altered the routes improve efficiency. Based on a density and geographical area study, the state had determined that Westbrook was spending $75,000 more than it should on busing. The state reimburses school districts for busing each year, the amount depending on what the state decides is appropriate.
Two years ago, the state determined that Westbrook had gone over its budget, leaving the city having to pay $75,000. At the same time, the area encountered a drastic increase in the price of gas, which further encouraged the school department to alter routes.
“We’ve been tightening our belts every year,” said Sawyer. “And this is one of the ways we’re doing it.”
Westbrook school buses had formerly picked up third- through fifth-graders in one run, then returned to pick up kindergartners through second-graders in a second run. The change combined the two runs for the first time since 1975. According to Sawyer, the state determined after the change that Westbrook was again within its budget and, therefore, didn’t have to come up with an extra $75,000.
Sawyer said on Tuesday that he didn’t think Westbrook’s students were riding too long on the bus when compared to other school systems in the area and across the state. He also said balancing the school department’s budget and the needs of the students was always complex.
“If we had unlimited money, we could have every child picked up door to door with a limo,” he said.
With the new routes, buses that were running at around 50 percent capacity now run at around 90 percent. That increased efficiency, however, has come at the cost of the students, who spend more time every day riding to and from school.
“I just get concerned with the cost savings that we have,” said Westbrook parent Tami Blake at the meeting. “Is it worth it?”
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