Evesham Township Parents Fighting Proposed Bus Cuts That Would Force Children To Cross 'Very Dangerous' Road
MARLTON, N.J. (CBS) -- Some Evesham Township residents are fighting their school district. They say proposed school bus cuts could jeopardize the safety of their children.
While some parents across the region are pushing districts to let their students back into class, parents in Burlington County find themselves battling a local school board over school bus cuts they say will put their children at risk.
DeMasi Elementary School sits on Evesboro-Medford Road, a wide, 45 mph thoroughfare that young students may have to walk along each morning and afternoon due to cuts proposed by the Evesham Township School District.
"The school board debated bus cuts 10 years ago and they ultimately decided that it was too dangerous to have the children cross the road," Emily Gervasi said. "We, as parents, right now don't understand what has changed over the last decade. If anything, the road has gotten busier."
Parents fear speeding cars will eventually hurt one of their own.
"Definitely in the morning, it's still dark. The road is very dangerous to cross," Yulia Cunningham said. "I just would not feel comfortable, probably not even with my high schooler if he had to walk."
Even with proposed crossing guards, the idea doesn't sit well with some parents.
"My father was almost hit crossing that intersection," Cunningham said.
If approved, the cuts would equal about $145,000 -- around 0.2% of the budget. To bridge the gap, the district is offering a pilot program at a steep price.
'That's going to cost each parent about $350," Jeremy Huang said, "and so I have three kids, I pay enough taxes so for us to pay additional $1,000, I believe, in my opinion, the school should have had plans for this way before the pandemic starts."
For now, parents have started a petition. They plan to present it at the school board meeting next Thursday at 7 p.m.
Superintendent Justin Smith told Eyewitness News the cuts are the largest the school district has ever had to make. Forty-five staff positions will also be cut, according to Smith.
According to Smith, the district will be cutting school buses where the commute is less than a mile.
He said for the proposed subscription busing in Colts Run, the district is working with police to see if additional safety measures will be needed.
"The health and safety of our children is vital. The busing changes (increasing walker zones and piloting subscription busing), only proposed due to our dire financial challenges, are part of a much larger budget plan aimed at helping our district maintain its excellent educational programming for students despite having to cut over $4 million from our budget for next year," Smith said in a statement to Eyewitness News. "The bulk of our budget cuts are affecting staff. Our district is currently in Year 4 of seven consecutive years of reductions in state funding."
"Subscription busing is being piloted in a limited way with one neighborhood (Colts Run), to gauge whether, on the whole, it would be of benefit to expand it in future years. The cost is $350 per student for the year (free for students on free and reduced lunch). Many districts use subscription busing, and most of those districts charge more per year. Since $350 per year is less than the cost of transporting a student for the year by bus, greater savings are achieved through increasing walking. The safety of each walking route will be assured through a process of steps including communication and guidance from our police department as well as central administration and principals developing plans. All parents still have the option to drive their children as well."
CBS3's Alecia Reid contributed to this report.
