South Suburban Students Feel the Effect of Transportation Woes

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by Lesley R. Chinn

With the new school year now in full swing for South Suburban students, at least two school districts

faced problems last week with transporting students to and from school.

While heavy delay times had some students waiting on bus stops for as much as 45 minutes in School

District 167, still others had no service at all in School District 154. Due to budget cuts, students in

School District 154 had to walk to school, while parents protested the move by the Board to cut transportation services.

The intention was never to have the kids walk to school. It was the intent of the board to have parents seek other means to get the children to go to school, said District 154 Superintendent Carol Kunst. In a letter dated April 15, 2008 and obtained by the Citizen Newspaper, District 154 reiterated its decision to eliminate service to students. Although the decision was first made public in 2007, the letter served as additional notification to parents that the service would be cut this year.

Kunst who cited budgetary reasons for cutting the service, said the Board investigated the options.

According to the letter, the district explored other alternatives, including buying a new or used bus.

However, the cost in total, including maintenance, compensation to drivers, fuel, insurance and other costs, was just too expensive an investment to keep the buses running.

Matt Vanover, spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Transportation said most districts are required to provide transportation for students who live more than 1.5 miles from the school they attend. The students in Shool District 154 walk 2.5 miles to school from their homes.

Known as a common school district or one that was created prior to 1917, Vanover said common

school districts like District 154 arent required to provide transportation. In addition, schools are

reimbursed for transportation on a prorated basis statewide, he said. Depending upon its Equalized

Assessed Valuation, on the average, schools are generally reimbursed by about 60 percent of the

cost, he said. Anytime the cost of transportation increases, expenses such as fuel, labor, and maintenance costs increase as well. This has a domino affect on school districts, he explained.

Meanwhile, at School District 167, extensive waiting times have been an issue for the district since last

year, according to reports. The first day of school on August 26, was no different. Students standing at bus stops waited for as much as 45 minutes before being picked up on a day when they were only in school for one hour due to a shortened school schedule.

District Superintendent Dr. Pamela Hollich suggested parents call the area school within the District 167 to address future complaints. If we dont know what the problems are, we cant solve them, she said. However, reportedly, problems associated with delays in arrival times have been ongoing.

Officials from the Kickert School Bus Line station in Chicago Heights, the company that provides the service to four schools within the district, attributed the current problem to fuel costs and a shortage in personnel. According to one source, who wished to remain anonymous, last year the company employed 220 drivers but needed 243 drivers in order for the operation to run smoothly. We used to be able to run with 220 driversbut with everyone getting out at 2:45 p.m., those same 40 routes have now turned into 82 routes because you have to run everything individually. Thats just a

hardship on the bus companies, the district, and everybody. Increasing gas costs have also impacted on service to students, he said. However, Hollich claimed the district has been working with the bus

company to resolve the issues.

There has been a reorganization of the bus company and they are working to change some of their procedures. Right now, were tracking some of the complaints. Typically, the first week of school is erratic because of new drivers learning the routes. We certainly expect that by the end of next week, kids are being picked up on time and making it to school, she said.

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