DEPTFORD, N.J. (CBS) — The Deptford Township School District said it does not plan to cut back on bus services after it presented the transport plan for 2024-2025 in a letter to parents on Friday.
School Principal Kevin Kanauss wrote a letter to parents Monday indicating that the decision not to change the bus schedule came after the board discussed community feedback during a meeting with the school board’s transportation committee.
“After careful consideration, the recommendation and decision has been made to rescind the transportation plan for the 2024-2025 school year. Deptford Township Schools will continue to provide transportation to the individual buildings that have received it in the past,” Kanauss wrote in part.
However, the superintendent was quick to refer parents to Friday’s transportation presentation, which outlined the plan for the 2024-25 school year. Parents were reminded that the reason the district originally decided to cut busing was to save DTSD more than $1 million in transportation costs and minimize the burden on its Deptford fleet.
Kanauss wrote in his letter to parents Friday that the effort is expected to save the district more than $1.6 million annually.
“Please know that I cannot in good conscience continue the same practices that have plundered our budget and transportation departments over the past few years,” Kanauss wrote Friday.
Under the district’s now-withdrawn plan, students would only be eligible for bus transportation if they live further than a minimum distance from the school boundary, depending on which school the child attends.
Students attending kindergarten, elementary, or middle school in the district would have to live more than 2 miles from school to qualify for bus transportation, while high school students would have to live 2.5 miles from the high school.
However, parents of students who lived within 2 to 3 miles of their school still had the option of paying $365 per year for a season ticket.
Kanauss concluded Monday’s letter to parents by saying there is a need for more bus stops in the area so their children can ride the bus more often.
