North Caldwell BOE May Start Charging For School Busing

Would a busing fee for your child affect your family’s finances?

The North Caldwell Board of Education is considering a switch to subscription-based school busing, a drastic change from the current “no-cost” busing model that is provided to about 75 percent of the district’s students, Tap Into West Essex reported.

• Current bus routes in the district can be seen online here.

“According to the board, due to budget constraints, the district is not able to provide no-cost busing to 100 percent of the student population without significantly affecting academic programs,” Tap Into West Essex wrote. “This has created long-standing inequities in the access to safe and convenient busing in a district where, for all practical purposes, walking is not a safe option for all students.”

The Board’s Transportation Committee has recommended that the BOE switch to a pay-to-bus model as soon as the 2016-17 school year, according to school administrators.

Further discussions on the issue will be held at future board meetings, TAP Into reported.

Send Caldwell news tips and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com