Evans questions decision on busing

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BY JoANNE YOUNG / Lincoln Journal Star

A Lincoln Board of Education member is questioning a decision to provide busing to two groups of students whose parents say their children's walk to school is dangerous.

Board member Doug Evans said during a budget discussion Tuesday that although the $40,000 addition to the $249.4 million proposed budget is small, it would be a deal breaker for him.

"I realize this is a very small thing in a very large budget, but this is the only place I see for input," he said. "If this busing is in this budget, then I am opposed to this budget."

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Doug Evans (LJS File)

Doug Evans (LJS File)

The two groups of students attend Everett Elementary and Clinton Elementary schools. The Everett students live in a largely Hispanic neighborhood near South First Street and have to cross three sets of railroad tracks and two major arterials to get to school.

A busing route for those students is estimated to cost about $10,000.

The second group of students approved by the subcommittees for busing live in a mobile home park near 27th and Theresa streets and attend Clinton Elementary. School officials say parents' concerns about traffic and safety keep some of those kids from attending school. That busing route is estimated at about $12,000.

"Given that school starts next week," said Superintendent Susan Gourley, "we will be operating (those routes) as we have notified parents — until the board directs us not to."

Evans opposes the decision for five reasons, he said.

* Getting children to school is not the district's job. That's the job of parents. The district's job is to educate them once they get inside the schoolhouse door.

* Giving some children busing for safety reasons — and not others — is not fair. The district eliminated busing for safety several years ago to lower the budget. In Evan's view, other school walking routes are less safe than these two.

* No objective criteria was used  when deciding what new transportation routes would be offered.

* Offering the new routes results in "nickel and diming" the budget. It's a slippery slope that reverses a trend the board established years ago to keep budgets from slowly growing out of control.

* In a "zero sum" budget, when one thing is added something else should be taken away. If the board would decide not to add discretionary funds for the busing routes, it would have to take away money from some other program to fund the routes.

Other board members said they would support adding the routes. The budget will be voted on during the next board meeting Sept. 13.

Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.