D122 Reviews Six Bus Schedule Options

The District 122 school board reviewed six options to change bus schedules for next year and what their financial impact would be.

Last year, the school board changed bus times 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.

What Are the Options?

All six options, including one that would keep things the same as this year, will result in additional costs.

Business manager Harold Huang said that more buses would be needed, even if the schedules aren't changed, because the district had a hard time staying consistent in its required pickup and dropoff times as a result of increased route lengths.

7:30-Intermediate

8:20-Jr. High, Kindergarten

9:10-Primary

7:30-Junior High

8:20-Intermediate

9:10-Primary

7:50-Martino+feeder schools

8:50-Liberty+feeder schools

7:50-Junior High, Oakview/Haines, Ridge/Prairie

8:50-Kindergarten, Crossing/Pointe, Bentley/Tyler

7:30-Junior High

8:20-Crossing/Pointe, Bentley/Tyler

9:10-Kindergarten, Oakview/Haines, Ridge/Prairie

Back to last year's schedule:

7:50-Junior High, Intermediate

8:50-Kindergarten, Primary

Options three, four and five would also involve changing the required walking distances and the number of riders permitted on a bus. Huang said the fifth option was "very creative" because it's the change that results in the smallest cost increase and also allows junior high students to start the earliest.

"But the problems you create are with extracurriculars, and you’ll also have to change walking distances," he said.

Parent Input Sought

The board gave a reluctant consensus for administrators to craft a survey for parents that will be posted through PowerSchool.

Members Maureen Broderick, Nick DiSandro, Pat Martino and Sue Smith were all in favor of a survey while members Sue Gillooley, Deb Kedzior and Kathy Miller weren't sure it would garner enough feedback.

District spokeswoman Jenny Zimmerman said the survey would only be open to parents in District 122 and they would only be able to respond once. They survey would ask parents about the six options, but board members also wanted to make it clear that parents understood the context of the decision being made.

Huang said the state used to reimburse the school district 80 percent of what it paid for transportation. Last year , and after Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed more funding the district will only get half of what it spends back. 

The district spent $2,793,000 on transportation this year, so if it were to choose a more expensive option, that's more money paid with less being reimbursed by the state. The difference would have to come from somewhere in the district's budget.

"(Parents aren't) privvy to the big picture," Kedzior said. "I want other things. I want a textbook adoption. I don’t like being at the bus at 7 in the morning, but I’m not going to cut an aide for it."

A survey was administered during parent-teacher conferences and included a question about bus schedules, though Associate Supt. Peggy Manville said only 31 percent of parents answered that question, and in some cases that included parents answering multiple times if they had more than one child in the district.

Zimmerman said parents will be notified when a survey is available. The next board meeting is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25 at the .