Parents Voice Busing Concerns to D122 Board

District 122's decision on bus schedules isn't going to make everyone happy, but with parents' input it might be a little easier. That was the sentiment shared by board members and about 25 community members who attended a Q&A session Wednesday night.

The district issued a survey to parents this week to get a feel for what mattered most to them when it comes to the bus schedules, which were changed this year to a three-tier system that had intermediate students arrive to school at 7:30 a.m. That change saved about $372,000. 

After some parents voiced concern over the changes, the school board promised to look at alternative schedules. The district has proposed six options, all of which would increase the cost.

The board will select an option at its Feb. 15 meeting, but urged parents to speak out, take the survey and contact the members to help make the best decision.

State Funding for Transportation

Associate Supt. Peggy Manville and business manager Harold Huang began the meeting with a look at the reason transportation was considered as a place for savings last year.

Not only is the state behind on $1.1 million in categorical payments to District 122, but general aid has decreased steadily the past few years. In 2004, general state aid to the district was about $8.7 million. But Huang projects that figure to dip to just $2.1 million this year.

The state reimburses school districts for transportation costs, but that percentage has also dwindled. In 2008, District 122 got about 75 cents to the dollar back; that dropped to 50 percent reimbursement last year for the $2.8 million the district spent on busing. And after the General Assembly proposed increasing that to 65 percent, Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed it.

"We have a very unique governor," Huang said. "I’d like to use another word but I don’t think they’d put it on tape."

Huang and other board members urged residents to contact their state legislators. See below for a list of contact information.

Weighing the Options

Huang ran through the six options and provided insight to each for the parents in attendance. After that, attendees had a chance to share their feedback, concerns and individual perspectives.

The options range in cost and offer a variety of schedules, including junior high starting first, all Martino feeder schools on one schedule and Liberty on another and even reverting back to last year's schedule.

Cost: The options range from about $60,000 in additional costs (keeping this year's schedule the same but adding new buses) to about $600,000 (going back to last year's schedule). 

Although some parents admitted they don't like the new schedule, they were concerned with some of the higher-cost options.

"I feel you guys have done a great job getting my kids the best education they can get," parent Mandy Holuj said. "I'm not a fan of getting up at 6:30, but $600,000 to make my life a little better ... I'm not personally willing to give that up for my kids."

Junior High First: Many parents had to make new day care options following this year's changes because intermediate students would be getting home before the junior high kids that were often relied upon to babysit. Four of the six options considered would bus junior high students first.

"We counted on my daughter, the oldest, being the first one home and being able to take care of herself to allow my wife a little extra time to work," parent Dennis McNulty said. "Money is also tight for families, and both my wife and I work. Our fourth-grader is the first one home and we can’t have him come home to an empty house."

Katie Kollross, a sixth-grade teacher at Nelson Ridge, shared her perspective as an educator and said junior high students going the earliest might not always be the best option.

"We want all the kids to perform the best, but if they go to bed the latest, then have to go the earliest, are they going to be doing their best at school? I personally don’t think so," she said, adding that early starts could impact extracurriculars and students' willingness to participate in early-morning academic clubs.

Vertical Start: One option Huang called "creative" was a vertical start that would involve busing Martino students and its feeder schools at 7:50, followed by Liberty and its feeders at 8:50.

Some in attendance questioned the impact on extracurriculars when the same grade levels would be dismissed at different times. Another factor considered by a few parents was mixing first- through sixth-graders on the same bus.

"My concern is having my first-grader on the same bus with the sixth-graders," parent Taylor Boyle said. "It breaks my heart thinking about him being bullied. I was on the bus with all the older kids and it was awful."

Back to Next Year? That's the costliest option, and while it's still on the table, board President Nick DiSandro said, "We cringe at $600,000."

What Comes Next

The board will vote on the bus schedules at its Feb. 15 meeting, which is 7 p.m. at the . Before that, they ask you to share input and contact state legislators regarding transportation funding.

A survey was issued to parents through PowerSchool on Monday, and they have through Friday to complete it. The board also asked for parents to email their questions and feedback to the members at boe@nlsd122.org. Last night's presentation will also be televised on Channel 6.

The district issued contact information for Quinn and our elected officials and urged the public to call and write letters voicing opposition to transportation cuts. The contact list can be viewed as the PDF attached to this article.

"These impacts don’t just impact people who have children in the district, it impacts the entire community," member Pat Martino said. "Repeatedly contact them. Really go after them."

All options are still on the table, but Manville said the board should pick one that will be sustainable.

"Whatever decision is made, we'd like it to be for at least a couple years," she said. "We don’t want to keep going back and forth."