Hazlet Board of Ed. to revise bus routes
Board responds to parents' concerns
BY TOM SHORTELL Staff Writer

HAZLET — The Board of Education voted to provide free busing to students who would otherwise walk hazardous routes, after about 20 parents protested at the board meeting June 25.

The board voted in executive session to eliminate proposed walking routes in hazardous areas, Superintendent William O. George III said June 26.

Without the vote, some elementary students within two miles of their schools would have had to walk over bridges, busy intersections and railroad crossings to get to class.

Families of affected students will not be notified of the changes until the routes are finalized, said Assistant Superintendent Bernard Bragen. George said on June 29 that the finalized routes would be available on the district's website on July 1.

Before the vote, parents addressed the board, often angrily, about the potential dangers their children would face walking to school. Some elementary students who live within two miles of their schools would have crossed railroad crossings, bridges and busy intersections.

The Bethany Road overpass above the Garden State Parkway drew the strongest outrage because of the busy road and narrow walkway.

Susan Nestor, a resident of Kerry Drive, said it was unreasonable to expect gradeschool students to cross the overpass.

According to Google Maps, her fifthgrader would have walked 1.3 miles to Beers Street School. The directions come with an advisory note reading, "Use caution — This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths."

"You have turned it [transportation] into a safety issue for these children," Nestor said. "The board should have to take accountability."

Other parents voiced concerns about the Fulton Street footbridge near the Hazlet Library. Parents and officials said the creek it crosses can flood and block the path, as it did earlier in the week.

They also raised questions about the safety of the wooded area.

Roseann Sarno, a resident of Tall Oaks Road, said the wooden bridge is often littered with beer bottles and needles.

"It is so secluded, I would not feel comfortable not knowing if my daughter made it to school," she said.

After more than an hour of public comment on transportation, the board thanked parents for speaking up and assured them it was working toward a solution, possibly as early as the next week.

"Every concern will be taken into serious consideration," said Marlene Tredy- O'Connor, board president. Afterward, she blamed problems on the failed school budget, which voters turned down in April.

The Township Committee ultimately cut $621,456 from the budget, $250,000 of which was in the transportation fund.

"In our original plan, we had that in the budget. When a budget fails, unfortunately, hard decisions need to occur."

George added after the meeting that the board's first priority was the district's educational standards.

"They [the board] did not want to impact on direct instruction," he said.

After the budget failed, the board ordered a transportation audit and demographic study, George said. The board's decision in executive session was a continuation of those discussions, he said.

The need for new bus routes is the result of a planned restructuring of the district elementary schools for the 2009-10 school year.

The district currently has six elementary schools for kindergarten through sixthgrade students.

The restructuring will organize schools by age group, with an Early Learning Childhood Center for preschoolers and kindergartners, three schools for first- through fourth-graders, and two schools for fifthand sixth-graders.

According to the Board of Education, students without free busing can pay $350 per seat to ensure they get a seat on the bus. Forms, which can be found on the website, and a $50 deposit are due July 6. The balance must be paid by Aug. 1. Families eligible for reduced or free school lunches can also get a reduced bus fee of $87.