Busing procedures for the Living Sky School Division are going to come under review. The board of education, as a committee of the whole, will be conducting the review over at least two specially called meetings in November.
The review has been prompted by recent decisions by the board, not always unanimous, to overrule some of the existing procedures. These have been the result of parents sending delegations to board meetings to plead their cases.
The most recent exemption overruled the .75 kilometer rule, which stipulates that kindergarten to Grade 8 students residing in an urban attendance area will be eligible for free transportation if they reside beyond .75 kilometers from the school within their attendance area.
Trustee Jack Snell said, "We have kind of hung our transportation department out to dry twice in the last three months, so I feel very sorry for them, but I supported the decisions."
Trustee Todd Miller said, "Something has to be done because the last two decisions pulled [Transportation Manager Colin Westgard] in two directions."
Board chair Ken Arsenault said the recent decisions haven't changed what the transportation manager does.
"Colin still operates by procedures that he has," he said.
If someone wants to go beyond the procedure it still comes to the board.
"How Colin operates hasn’t changed," said Arsenault. "Maybe how strongly he feels the board supports the procedures might have changed."
All board members agreed the review should be done by the board as a whole, rather than striking a committee.
"It has to be a committee of the whole because everybody has different opinions," said Ron Kowalchuk. "I don’t know how you could have a committee and come up with anything that everybody can agree. Everybody needs to be involved."
Kowalchuk has always been a staunch supporter of making no exceptions to the procedures.
"I thought we had s pretty good procedure, but every once in a while the board decided to change and go against it and make exceptions, and the exceptions cause problems," he said.
He said he'd like to "deliver every kid to their door, but is it practical? Is it feasible? I don't think so."
He noted if the board makes changes it will have to decide where it's going to come up with the extra money.
Trustee Glenn Wouters' chief concern is safety. He doesn't like to see very young children walking to school in the dark or on crowded roads.
Arsenault said the sooner the review can get started the better.
Dates have been set for meetings on Nov. 6 and 23 and will be facilitated by Director of Education Randy Rox.
Chief Financial Officer Lonny said there have been three more requests to come before the board since the last meeting. The applicants will be informed no decision will be made until after the review.,
Vice-chair Ronna Pethick said, "I just want to say to the board that 99 per cent of the time our procedures are working. It’s only that one per cent that comes to our table."
