Bus ride times, transfers at issue at Milton School Board meeting
MILTON — The Milton School Board got an earful Monday from parents fed up with long bus rides and a complex transfer system responsible for one student getting on the wrong bus last month.
Board transportation committee Chairman Tom Westrick told six parents that the committee plans discussions between the district and its transportation provider, Riteway bus. The district and Riteway are under fire because of bus ride times some parents say have expanded between 10 and 20 minutes this year.
Rural Edgerton resident Lymon Elliott III has two children who are bused to Milton Schools from his home on Cox Road. They get out of school at 3:30 p.m. and sometimes have returned home as late as 4:55 p.m., he said. He invited the board to sit in his driveway and see when his children get dropped off.
"I double-dog-dare every person on this board and (anyone) responsible for determining how those bus routes are scheduled to do something about it," he said.
A Gazette report on Sunday outlined how parents Noah and Jaime Lamson began driving their kindergarten-age son, Samuel, to and from school after he got on the wrong bus last month at the district's transfer hub at Northside Intermediate.
They've asked the district to transfer Samuel from Milton West Elementary to Consolidated Elementary School in rural Janesville. Consolidated is closer to where the Lamsons live along Highway 51, and his parents say the bus that would transport him to that school would get him home sooner and without a stop to transfer.
District officials are hesitant to transfer Samuel because they say it would throw off the balance of class sizes and open the door for other parents to request school transfers.
Noah Lamson wants the district to cease bus transfers for all kindergarten, first- and second-grade students.
The district runs two waves of after-school busing, re-convening at Northside Intermediate at 3:40 p.m. to transfer elementary school students home.
Westrick and other members of the board's transportation committee observed the transfer process, which involves 12 adult chaperones with two-way radios, and 28 student bus cadets.
Westrick called the transfer a "well-run process with checks and balances that work," although he acknowledged, "anything can be improved upon."
One parent, Amy Bass, said she wishes Riteway would drop her third-grader off at the driveway instead of a quarter-mile away at a blind intersection.
Westrick said the committee plans to meet with Riteway's Milton terminal staff and upper management to find solutions to the problems. No one from Riteway was at the meeting.
Westrick said he’s not sure what to do address lengthening bus rides. District officials blame Highway 26 construction for stretching bus times. He told The Gazette the board could look at running one wave of busing for all students, but it would be much more expensive.
“We have revenue limits. Where do you cut to do that? It’s a balancing act, but we’re going to have very serious conversations about that,” he said.
Oct 25, 2012 at 8:55 a.m.
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You have no idea the reasons why I live in rural Edgerton/Milton. Life takes many different paths.
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My daughter was then born here four years ago. She has special needs and we have an extremely difficult time controlling her when in public. I am at work when school lets out. This leaves my wife to pick up my son. Which she must get out of the car and walk to the door they let the kids out to meet the parents. This is mostly impossible with my daughter.
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The bus is a convenience for me and I believe I have good reason to use it. Thanks for your tax dollars to pay for it. Wish you would all want your money to be used a bit smarter and not allow our youngest children to have to transfer busses.
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Long times, I get it to a point and probably more forgiving on that in this conversation than most people think. It is absurd that a kindergartner has to switch busses and are guided by 6th graders in doing so. That's how my son got ended up on the wrong bus.
Oct 24, 2012 at 11:53 a.m.
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12345678 and nick's mom - the bus schedule when we moved here was significantly different than it is now - for that matter, this year is signficantly different than the previous SIX years my kids have ridden the bus - because the bus company cares less about the kids and more about money. If paying another fee (on top of the rest we pay because taxpayers do NOT foot the entire bill of our free public education system) would guarantee better and safer service, I would pay it. I also know that parents were actually heard when Peg Ekdahl and Bernie Nickolay were superintendents, but that of course has changed for the worse as well because dear Dr. Garrow is too busy rearranging early releases into late starts and changing registration into a centralized nightmare, all for the "added convenience to parents" - so our district has a lot more issues than it did up until last year. Instead of fixing what wasn't broken, he needs to help fix what is, except he claims he only has a "55,000 foot view of this issue", unlike Peg and Bernie who got down in the trenches with the rest of us.
Oct 24, 2012 at 9:39 a.m.
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The parents should have checked the bus schedule before moving to the MSD.We did 25 years ago and knew our children would have a long bus ride home.This has nothing to do with the bus company and everything to do with the parents being proactive in knowing the answers to what ,when and where.
Oct 24, 2012 at 9:03 a.m.
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I like how these people live in "rural" areas and then do nothing but complain about being inconvienced. When you purchase your home & have children this is one of the things that you should take into consideration. If you don't like the bus route, then take your children to and from school yourself. Perhaps you'll reconsider next time you decide to live in a rural area. There are disadvantages to that. Perhaps you should have thought of that.
Oct 24, 2012 at 8:56 a.m.
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You can have whatever service you are willing to pay for. The contract with Riteway is for specific services; pay more, get more.
Oct 24, 2012 at 5:10 a.m.
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I rode the bus to and from school several decades ago. I was usually first on and last off. Each year my ride was 45-90 minutes. A couple of years I had to walk 1/4 mile to and from the bus. One year I rode my bike. The ride length did bother me, the ride didn't. Occasionally the bus loaded a stray or some student missed their transfer. The largest problem, in my opinion, was the bullying. Many of us didn't put up with the bullies. There were other problems too; like yelling, screaming, standing, walking the isles, throwing things, sex, epileptic convulsions, spontaneous bloody noses, fights, kids not ready to be picked up, kids not ready to be dropped off (maybe asleep?), on and on...... The longer the ride, the more we experienced. These problems are not new people. If you've ever experienced 3 restless children in your car, imagine the above. I understand bus companies provide transportation. Bus drivers are drivers. Bus companies bid contracts competitively. The issues above can only be largely effected by money. Imagine the liability of babysitting our children using the physical restraint needed to change what I experienced (by the way, seat belts might be a good idea, but realize they also paralyze the victims). Many children I grew up with refuse to behave and still act similarly today. As for the length of transportation, I guess they (school boards and bus companies) haven't figured it out yet. No one is anxious to pay additional school tax for more buses and drivers (which would require more space to park at schools). I hated long rides for many reasons, but I also don't have an answer. Maybe they could offer an optional bid, to add more buses and guarantee a maximum ride timeline, putting the choice in our laps? If the bus company can make a significant time management change, it would be the first time for such a major impact, and they should then be recognized for their effort. I doubt it is likely to happen. What are your solutions.... parents?
Oct 23, 2012 at 10:22 p.m.
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No one from Riteway was even at the meeting??
Oct 23, 2012 at 9:35 p.m.
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In the past, they had the first on- first off policy "because its fair" I never understood driving past our house, keeping my children on the bus driving throughout the countryside, in bad weather to the farthest point on the route, to drop off the first child. and then continue dropping off students along the way back into town. Its a waste of gas, at the least, I dont think any child should be riding any longer than necessary, not out of "fairness" but safety. Dont keep the kids on to ride any further on those roads than need be. And by all means, if there is a closer school, or bus route. coordinate it! Bottom line, someone at Riteway is NOT doing their job. sorry but it has little to do with construction, they seriously do not care. I have had 12 years of Riteway bus routes, and every time I have had an issue, there has been no resolution, and it was ALWAYS brand new news to them. "we werent aware of this problem" was the standard line on the other end of the phone. And of course "they will look into it" is the line to follow. But never a resolution.
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