North Caldwell Working Out Kinks With Busing

North Caldwell Public School's busing system did not begin with the same "smooth start" as it has in previous years, North Caldwell Board of Education Vice President and Transportation and Safety Committee Chair Mary Wojtowicz reported at Tuesday night's board meeting.

With three different bus companies and numerous stop requests, it has been a difficult year, Wojtowicz said. All of the drivers were not familiar with the North Caldwell bus routes, and there were some delays getting to school on the first day.

Wojtowicz has since been in contact with the principals of the district's two elementary schools, Grandview and Gould, and reported students are now arriving on time.

"The transportation system takes time to settle. The important thing is buses are getting to school on time," Wojtowicz said.

There have been many requests from parents for stops, reported Wojtowicz and Transportation and Safety Committee Member Aggie Doolen. However, all buses are currently at full capacity, with about 17 stops per bus.

Since the average bus stop takes about two minutes, Wojtowicz expressed concerns about adding additional stops. She said she does not want children arriving home from school later than 4 p.m.

Board President Steve Hadley thanked Wojtowicz and Doolen for their many hours of work on the busing system. While people might call to complain, he said, "No one calls you up to tell you when the bus comes on time."

Doolen, who is also a member of the Buildings and Grounds Committee, reported on the work the district's maintenance staff did in order to get the schools ready for re-opening.

Doolen said that in addition to all the painting and cleaning that was accomplished, a vocal music room at Grandview School was converted into a classroom and the gym at Gould School was refinished. New shrubbery was also added at Grandview and the sidewalks were renovated.

The ventilation systems at both schools were converted to digital, allowing for heating to be regulated and controlled through one central system.

Superintendent Linda Freda thanked the North Caldwell Foundation for Education, NCFE, for their generous gifts for the 2010-2011 school year. NCFE funded at a cost of $9,000 the third-grade strings program and provided a grant of $650 to fifth-grade teacher Cheryl Schechter for the purchase of books for the "Mentor Books" program. The Mentor Books will be used during writer's workshop to help model writing techniques.

Freda also reported that the NCFE has established a Facebook page and has set up an account with Constant Contact, an e-newsletter service, to improve communication with all members of the community.

NCFE will be sponsoring a Green Night on Thursday, Nov. 11. A number of vendors and service providers will be present to display and discuss green products. In addition, NCFE has established an account with Viridian, an alternate green electric energy provider. Viridian will pay the foundation $2 per month for every family that chooses this service. 

In other board news, Board President Hadley reported that with the current tough fiscal environment, he would like to create a community survey that would allow residents to prioritize their goals and needs for the school district. This survey would help in the preparation of budgets, he said.

Superintendent Freda also reported that NJ ASK scores will be sent home during the last week of September.