D122 Bus Schedules Will Remain the Same

District 122 parents, don't change your day care plans. After considering six options for transportation, the New Lenox school board decided to go with the cheapest choice: keeping things the same.

Last year, that allowed the district to cut 16 drivers and 19 buses, saving about $372,000 to help reduce the district's budget deficit. It moved the drop-off times for grades 4-6 to 7:30 a.m., junior high and morning kindergarten at 8:20 and grades 1-3 at 9:10.

These moves concerned some parents who thought the start time was too early for younger kids, and they said they would also need to make new after-school plans because junior high students were still in class.

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The six options, all of which would increase cost. Keeping the schedule the same means the district will pay about $60,000 more than last year because a few more buses are needed to keep the schedule going smoothly. The other five options ranged from $94,000 to about $600,000.

Board members gave a 5-2 consensus to administrators in favor of keeping the same schedule. Board President Nick DiSandro and member Sue Smith were the only dissenting votes, though other members said during the meeting that they don't like the current schedule. 

Only 22 percent of families responded to a survey the district administered. It didn't ask parents to choose one of the six options, but focused on parents' priorities to reach a consensus. Of the people who responded, about half said they preferred keeping the schedule the same.

A handful of parents at the meeting were disappointed with the board's decision and the parents' failure to give an opinion. They said a surey wasn't a good way to judge parents' opinions but didn't know what else to do.

"The lack of responses, that really bothers me," member Maureen Broderick said. "If you want to have a voice, you’ve got to do what we need you to do. I respect those who did take the time."

Parent Survey by the Numbers

• 22 percent of families responded (754 total)
• 11 percent of responses favored keeping the schedule the same
• 5 percent preferred that junior high students start first
• 5 percent preferred start times according to campus
• 1 percent preferred that grades 1-3 started school at the same time
• 2,767 families did not respond.