More than 12 hours before Bristol Township School District classes were set to begin, roughly two-dozen concerned parents gathered in the cafeteria of Harry S. Truman High School to discuss cuts to the the late bus program.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
District parents are upset after learning all school late bus routes have been scrapped for the 2014-2015 school year. The move, which was approved when the budget was passed in June, impacts students at Harry S. Truman High School, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Neil A. Armstrong middle schools. Bristol Township students who attend the Bucks County Technical High School, as well as all parochial and private schools will also be impacted by the cuts.
Advertisements
The meeting was organized by parent Sirena Thomas, who is planning to gather a large number of people to speak about the issue at next Monday’s school board meeting.
“What I’d like to do is hear everyone’s opinion and put everything together in a calm and collected way,” Thomas said at the Wednesday evening meeting. “Lets not only complain about the situation, but lets think about solutions.”
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Parents without vehicles and ones that worked during after school hours voiced their concerns about their children walking home alone or in the dark. Thomas said she worried about middle schools kids crossing busy streets like Veterans Highway (Route 413) and New Falls Road.
Advertisements
Superintendent Dr. Sam Lee told LevittownNow.com that late bus runs cost the district about $120,000 last year. That cost is just too much of for the district that has been struggling with its finances for the past few years.
School board President Angela Nober stopped at Wednesday’s meeting and answered questions from concerned parents. At one point, she even said a possibility would be to provide late bus service at one set time instead of several times. Nober said it was an issue that the board needed to talk about and was “not dead yet.”
Advertisements
Levittown resident Tom Barton, who is among a few regulars at school board meetings, told the upset parents they needed to come out to Monday’s meeting is large numbers to school the board what the issue meant to them.
“There’s strength in numbers,” he told the group.
Concerned parents noted increased amount of student participation in after school tutoring and sports would likely leave more kids needing transportation home.
Advertisements
Thomas asked those in attendance to spread the word and get concerned residents to attend Monday’s meeting.
