How far is too far? Debate over busing vs walking continues

As the temperature gauge drops, the issue of busing - or specifically, the distances Cloquet School District children are required to walk if they don't geographically qualify for busing - is heating up.

The subject of asking children as young as age 10 or 11 to walk a mile and a half to school has been raised by parents already this fall. During Tuesday's formal Cloquet School Board meeting, it was grandmother Lynn Olson who wanted to talk buses and walking distances.

Olson has lived on Danielson Road for 34 years and raised her kids there. Now she finds herself driving her grandchildren to meet the bus, because the district changed the bus routes and wants children to walk from their homes on the cul de sac to the main road.

Olson said she found herself with eight kids in her vehicle, waiting for the bus on a cold Tuesday morning.

"It is a safety concern," said Olson.

Under current school district policy, busing services are unavailable to the following students:

• Elementary school students (grades PreK-4) who live a mile or closer to their school;

• Middle school students (grades 5-8) who live within 1.5 miles of their school; and

• High school students (grades 9-12) who live within 2 miles of their school.

Some parents have complained that the distances are too far during cold weather, while others have simply complained that the distances are too far and the walking routes to school unsafe because of busy intersections and high traffic volume.

Cloquet Schools Superintendent Michael Cary broached the subject during the work session prior to the board's formal meeting, and again during the Superintendent's report.

Part of the problem is the fact that fifth-grade students used to fall under the elementary category and the 1-mile radius rule, but now that they attend the middle school, they must live at least 1.5 miles from the school to qualify for busing.

Another problem is winter weather, when roads and sidewalks can become slick or temperatures can drop so low that frostbite will set in within minutes.

School Board member Dave Battaglia suggested first that the district simply post the existing bus stops and find out if the issue can be solved that way.

"Just say 'if you want to ride the bus, here's where the bus stop is,'" he said. "If I'm a kid who can walk a mile-and-a-half to school or five blocks to the bus stop, that's my choice. It shouldn't make the routes any longer."

Part of the problem, Cary said, is that Cloquet Transit never provided the school district with a list of routes, along with pick-up and drop-off times.

Additionally, there is one fewer route this year, after the district and Cloquet Transit worked with a consultant to make the bus routes more efficient.

Changing or extending those routes will almost certainly make them less efficient.

Cary noted that the existing routes are intentionally designed so they will get kids to school at a particular time, so they aren't too early, but they are there soon enough so kids who want to may access the free breakfast program.

The superintendent told board members he will meet with officials from the Cloquet Transit Company again, and ask them to figure out costs for various scenarios, including lowering the radius (to catch the bus) to one mile for fifth-graders, fifth- through eighth-graders, and all students.

Board members speculated a lot of parents would still continue to drive their kids to school every day.

"But if the bus is already picking up a fifth-grader from a house, why can't the seventh-grade sibling ride the same bus," one board member suggested.

An additional bus would cost $292 a day, which could add up to another $17,000 or more in transportation costs for the district, Cary said. He is hoping to come back to a future meeting, depending on how long it takes the bus company to come up with ideas.

The money to pay for transportation comes from the district's General Fund, which means if the district spends more on transportation, it will likely have to make cuts elsewhere in the General Fund budget, Cary cautioned.

The Cloquet School Board also took the following actions Tuesday:

• Unanimously approved the school district general election voting results: incumbent school board members Battaglia and Ted Lammi were re-elected to the board, along with past board member Gary "Hawk" Huard.

• Passed a new District policy regarding the hiring of relatives. Policy No. 401.3 states that school district employees may not initiate or participate in district decisions involving a direct benefit (including hiring, promotion, negotiation, leave of absence, etc.) to an immediate family member. Board members are not considered employees, however.

• Passed several other policy changes, bypassing a second and third reading, including policies dealing with a code of ethics, conflict of interest, harassment and violence, chemical use and abuse, drug-free workplace and workload limits for certain special education teachers.