More Milford Students May be Able to Ride the School Bus Next Year

About 250 additional students may have the ability to ride the school bus next year, but there is a cost.

In order to decrease the distance requirements for youths to ride the school bus to Milford schools it will cost taxpayers up to an additional $288,000, a top Milford school official said Tuesday.

At Monday night’s Board of Education meeting school board members expressed a desire to reduce the walking distance requirements from 2 miles to 1.5 miles for high school students, and to reduce the middle school requirement from 1.5 miles to 1 mile, the Milford Mirror reports.

But, the elementary school distance would remain 1 mile.

No vote was taken, and no vote on the proposed policy change can be taken before the Monday, Nov. 9 Board of Education meeting, said Chief Operations Officer James L. Richetelli Jr.

Richetelli told Patch that the board had asked him to perform an analysis of what impact there would be on reducing the requirements to ride the school bus.

Richetelli said he believes it would allow an additional 250 students to ride the bus costing up to $288,000 or a 14.5 percent hike in the transportation account.

If the school board approves the policy change it would not impact the current school year.

The change would go into effect next school year. According to the report prepared by school administration Jonathan Law will have 66 new riders and West Shore 19 new riders for a total of 85 new riders for the west side of Milford.

An additional 165 new riders go to Foran, Harborside, Eastshore, and the Private/Technical schools.