Monday, August 06, 2018
Jackson to provide buses to Orthodox Jewish schools in Lakewood
The school district is set to provide school busing for over 200 township children attending Orthodox Jewish schools in Lakewood.
The move is expected to provide a significant cost savings for the district, which had previously cut checks to the families of those students as a reimbursement for transportation costs, required by state law.
By providing its own school bus service, the district isn't required to provide that "aid in lieu of transportation."
The school buses will begin providing service at the start of the 2018-19 school year, which begins on Sept. 6.
Last year, the Jackson school district was responsible for the transportation of nearly 800 township children, including 279 students to private Orthodox Jewish schools. Watch a video at the top of the page to see how the Lakewood busing bonanza plays out at one of the city's busiest intersections.
"It's according to the law," district business administrator Michelle Richardson said. "Every year, you have to check to see if you can transport non-public school students yourself, pay (a contractor) to do it or join with another public school district.
"You have to look at all those things before you pay aid in lieu."
A school bus picks up students in Lakewood, New Jersey. Tuesday, June 5, 2018. David Gard /Correspondent David Gard/Correspondent
Until now, the district couldn't afford to provide busing for most of those children and instead reimbursed their parents, Richardson said.
But those reimbursements have tripled over the last three years: The district spent over $610,000 on reimbursements in the 2017-18 school year and had earmarked $661,000 for the 2018-19 school year.
The total cost of providing a school bus for the Orthodox Jewish school students won't be determined until specific routes are assigned, "but it's definitely a cost savings," Richardson said.
It's not clear if the the district will assign one bus per school or combine multiple schools on each bus route.
Comments:
Post a Comment
