Residents say no to busing article
Published on May 5th, 1999
STONEHAM, MA - After over a year of debate, the busing issue was finally put to rest at 11:30 pm on Monday night, with Annual Town Meeting voters defeating an article which proposed full funding for the 1999-2000 school year.
Article 18 on the warrant proposed that the town pick up the remainder of the $120,000 tab for the service, supplementing the $69,000 that the School Department had budgeted for Fiscal Year 2000. The School Committee had endorsed that figure last month and will ask parents to pay user fees to recover the remaining $53,000 to have their children bused in the next school year.
"I am happy that it's gone through like this," said Joanne Tortorici, who had fought to get the article on the warrant, after the meeting. "I think it's come a long way. The School Committee's come a long way.
"It's a great thing for parents to take advantage of."
Even though her article was voted down after an hour of debate, Tortorici said that the shared cost is a lot better than the decision made by the School Committee last year to cut busing from the budget, a decision which eventually forced the Board of Selectmen to make an appropriation last October for the safety of the children.
"They sound like they're willing to work with the parents," said the Broadway resident. "I think this article has brought forth a lot of things that I think it opened a lot of eyes."
During the meeting, however, Tortorici voiced a slightly different opinion by indicating that parents and children deserved fully funded busing.
"We, as a community, came together and voted yes for the schools (school rebuilding project in 1997). We feel that the town has an obligation to pay for busing," she told the gathering.
School Committee Chairman Jeanne Craigie disagreed, saying that, on a tight budget, partial funding is the best that the town can afford.
"It is a compromise position with the parents," she explained. "This is not something that the School Committee can afford. We think we're doing the right thing, all things considered. This is the fair and equitable thing to do."
Selectmen Patrick Jordan and Darin Leahy backed Tortorici's article, with Leahy stating, "I think we have a moral obligation to fully fund the busing during the school reconstruction period."
Other residents supported this theory, stating that children which have been and will be displaced due to school construction should not have to pay for bus service to out-of-district schools which they were transferred to.
"This isn't about yellow buses, it's about yellow people," said town meeting mainstay Frank Pignone. "It's time you put your money where your mouth is for the children."
Not all parents, however, agreed with this line of thinking.
"I don't feel that this line of compromise is out of line in comparison to other communities," said Jill Kennedy of Janice Lane, a mother of five, four of which attend Stoneham schools. "I know it's going to cost me a few bucks if this passes, but I'm willing to dig deep for it."
Kristin Russo of the Finance and Advisory Board told the voters that the proposed article may actually prohibit students from busing eligibility. Under the present guidelines, she explained, any student which pays the fee can be bused. Under the proposed article, only students living 1.5 or more miles from their school could be bused.
"This article is asking for $53,000 to fully fund busing for a select few in our town," she said. "Voting in favor of this article would limit the number of students that would be allowed to ride the bus."
The article was voted down by a large majority. In addition, an amendment to fully fund busing for displaced students was also voted down.
What parents will pay
The School Department now estimates that parents will have to come up with $52,680 in order to fulfill their obligation. For the next school year, busing will cost $195 for one student, $295 for two and $350 for three or more students per year. If a parent wishes to buy one way service, the cost is $100 for one student, $150 for two and $175 for three or more students.
A $25 registration fee is due by June 15, 1999 and the first half payment, minus the registration fee, will be due on September 1, 1999. The second half of the payment will be due on February 1, 2000. A five percent discount will be given to all parents who make the full payment by September 1, 1999.
All students who live two or more miles from their school ride free.
Alternate pay schedules and busing scholarships to accommodate those with financial hardships are also available.
If you have any questions, call the School Department Business Office at 279-3802.
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