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Lawrence school officials worry about school transportation costs

By Mark E. Vogler
Staff Writer
Published: June 13, 2008

LAWRENCE — City Budget and Finance Director Mark Andrews reassured School Committee members last night that funds are available to continue running school buses in the city next fall.

But it will be up to the City Council as to whether school transportation costs are included when it meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday to consider the city budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

"I would encourage every School Committee member to be there," Andrews urged the School Committee.

"I fully expect that this item will be fully restored Wednesday or Thursday night," he said.

Even so, the council still has the discretion to reject a special appropriation to restore the $935,000 for transportation for students in kindergarten through high school that was not included in the overall city budget submitted by Mayor Michael Sullivan.

"There is the potential they will not approve the transportation part of the budget," schools Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy warned. "We have to notify parents that there is the potential," he said.

Both Andrews and Mayor Sullivan — who chairs the School Committee — both said they are confident that the council will pass a special appropriation to restore transportation, based on recent discussions with councilors.

Transportation originally wasn't on the agenda for last night's meeting. But several committee members were confused why an item that was included in the school budget they recommended weeks ago had been removed. The mayor granted a request by several members to discuss the issue at the end of the meeting.

Sullivan also called for a special recess to allow Andrews time to answer questions and brief committee members.

About $710,000 of the total school transportation budget covers buses to Lawrence High School, used by 1,900 of the 3,000 students this year, according to Assistant Superintendent Mary Lou Bergeron. The balance of the budget transports 290 students to parochial schools in the city and up to 60 children who are homeless, she said.

State law requires school systems to provide bus transportation to students in grades kindergarten through six who live two miles away from the school. Most grade school children in Lawrence walk to school because of a community school system.

But Laboy and a majority of the School Committee are concerned about the impact on many poor parents who rely on bus transportation.

The transportation budget does not include the $4.2 million the school district pays for busing of special needs students, which is mandatory under federal law, according to Laboy.

Several School Committee members pressed Andrews for answers on how it could be that their budget was included in the city budget without school transportation.

For one thing, the mayor has the prerogative to adjust the budget School Committee members recommended regarding transportation — which is discretionary, Andrews pointed out.

But Andrews said it was never the intention to delete transportation altogether.

"We wanted to balance the budget and find an alternative mechanism to fund the transportation budget," Andrews told the School Committee. Andrews said that the alternative mechanism is the rental of poles and wires for cable companies, which he said will provide more than enough money to bus Lawrence school children.