North Caldwell Switches To Subscription Busing: $450 Per Child

North Caldwell, NJ – If you have a child that takes the school bus in North Caldwell, things are about to change.

Starting next school year, the North Caldwell Public School District will switch to subscription busing.

According to administrators, children who live more than two miles from their schools will continue to be eligible for free busing. But students who live less than two miles away will be required to pay a busing fee.

The new busing rules will begin for the 2016-17 school year. Parents have until June 1 to enroll, with a payment deadline of June 15.

“The board concluded that there is inequity in the current busing program,” administrators stated on the district website. “Specifically, 58.4 percent of students are offered busing even though it isn’t required by law. Another 21 percent of students are not offered busing. If we continue our busing program unchanged, the percentage of students without courtesy busing would grow over time, resulting in further inequity.”

School officials said that budget considerations were another factor in the decision to switch to subscription busing.

“It is anticipated that busing costs will increase over time,” administrators stated. “The district is also facing a future influx of new students resulting from new housing in North Caldwell.”

The cost of the new busing service is $450 per child for the school year, with a maximum charge of $1,000 per family, school administrators said.

The charge for an a.m. or p.m.-only route is $300 per child, administrators added.

For more information about subscription busing in North Caldwell, click here.

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