By: Doug Miller
The Board of Education will hold a public "fact-finding" hearing next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Long Beach Middle School to gauge public opinion on the district's busing options.
The district has at its disposal the funds to buy 20 new compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to replace the diesel-powered vehicles currently in use. Whether the district replaces the fleet or simply adds the CNG buses to it is but one choice the district has to make.
Wrapped up in this debate is whether the district should switch all the schools to a single starting time instead of the current staggered starts. Because there are more students than bus seats, some of the buses make more than one trip. The district could save money by sending out each bus just once. Having all the buses run at once would also make possible shorter routes.
The funds for the 10 new CNG buses come from a bond the district passed in 2003. Added to the mix is a federal grant the district won that covers the difference in price between the CNG buses and diesel vehicles. Should the district expand its fleet, the only immediate cost would result from hiring more bus drivers.
There are potential snags. Asking students to wake up earlier or wait for later pickups would affect before- and after-school programs, and schedules would have to be adjusted in households where both parents work. A later dismissal time could also take time away from students who attend after-school cultural and religious classes.
The district provides free bus service to the students in four elementary schools, the middle and high school, and to students who attend private schools within 15 miles of the city.
The Board of Education commissioned Montana-based consulting firm LPS Inc. to come up with the most efficient way to bus its students, given the size of the district, the staggered starting times and the fact that the district does not provide neighborhood schools. The report will be released this week and posted on the district's Web site.
The district will hold another public hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 27, this time at the Long Beach library, to gather public input on the search for a new superintendent of schools. Dr. Ronald Friedman will retire from his post in July.
It was announced at Tuesday evening's Board of Education meeting that Moody's Investors Service has upgraded the district's bond rating from BAA1 to A1, up three notches. This means future bonds will carry an interest rate of around 2.1 percent, rather than the 2.8 percent the district has been paying.
