NIAGARA-WHEATFIELD
Bus changes could save district money
SANBORN — Changes in student bus transportation may be implemented next month to save the Niagara-Wheatfield Central School District fuel costs.
Transportation Director Terry W. Eisenman advised the School Board Wednesday of three options it could take to cut fuel and salary costs. He said because of the increase in fuel costs for buses, his department was $105,000 over budget this year.
Niagara-Wheatfield buses about 2,400 high and middle school students and about 1,760 elementary pupils. Although the existing board policy calls for designated stops, most buses will pick up students at their homes in this rural district, where many areas do not have sidewalks. The policy requires that students be picked up at stops no further than two-tenths of a mile from their homes, he said.
Eisenman suggested the designated stop system be reinstated for the secondary level with the students picked up at central areas such as fire halls or schools. The change could save at least $10,000 and result in 10,000 fewer miles a year with five or six fewer buses, he added.
Another option would be to cut back on the 11 buses that, on three mornings a week, take students to early activities. The buses cover about 20,000 miles a year and most only carry about 20-25 students per trip.
He said the district could switch to a reservation system, in which students would have to call ahead of time for transportation so the buses would not unnecessarily cover areas where no students needed rides.
Requiring reservations would save at least $5,000 a year and could be started in September, he said. Transportation during Regents test weeks should be examined, too, he said.
Board member Maureen Kaus said the district did require reservations for early pick-up when it began the practice years ago and board colleague Kathy Fleming said it was time to bring it back.
Julie Mills, a Wheatfield parent, told the board she preferred the reservation system over the designated stops because she felt “plenty of kids couldn’t make it (in time)” to a specific location. She said safety was also a factor because some pick-ups are early when it is dark outside.
Eisenman said transportation for field trips and sports events should also be evaluated because of the costs. Putting two teams together on the same bus to an event would save money. He also suggested sports booster groups could contract a private bus company for transportation.
The first day of school is scheduled for Sept. 3.
In another report to the board, school business administrator Kerin Dumphrey announced the 2008-09 property tax rates, which reflect an average decrease of almost 2.5 percent.
The new rates per $1,000 of assessed valuation are: Town of Niagara, homestead, $26.43, non-homestead, $35.76; Wheatfield, homestead, $21.72, non-homestead, $29.99; Lewiston, homestead, $18.02, non-homestead, $24.52; and Cambria, homestead, $15.57, non-homestead, $21.33.
The average home valued at $100,000 in the district will see a tax decrease of $61.39 a year with a bill of $1,430, said Dumphrey, who attributed the drop to a boost of $2,254,693 in state aid.
