School Board Accepts $85k Donation To Restore Private School Bus Routes

Update: School officials will consider restoring courtesy busing . 

The Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday night to accept an $85,000 donation to .

Hundreds of residents packed the Student Center for a sometimes-tense special public meeting.  Some residents urged the BOE not to accept the money from Cross River Bank because it had been earmarked for private school routes.

“It is very difficult to turn down money,’’ said Board of Education Trustee David Diuguid. “This will help defray the cost of at least some of the busing issue for this year. I think it’s important that we don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater.’’

The money must be received by end of day Monday for the deal to be final, school district Business Administrator Robert Finger said. The district must also enter into a written agreement with the bank. 

Private school parents were notified last month about new consolidated bus stop locations, called “shuttle stops." Busing for public school students has also taken a hit, with the elimination of courtesy bus service.

School officials said consolidating private school stops would save the district $85,000 and impact 2,000 students, while cuts to so-called courtesy busing for public school grades 1 to 4 would save $260,000 and affect more than 500 students. 

But parents impacted by the consolidation of private routes have argued the plan would cause a safety issue.

Under the consolidated busing system, there will be less individual stops, which many private school parents argue will pose a safety risk, creating crowding during pick up and drop off times. Children would also be required to walk to stops farther from home, opponents say.

Council members Elie Y. Katz and Yitz Stern, a bank board member, helped lead an effort to oppose the consolidation and met with the bank to arrange the donation.

Wednesday’s meeting became heated at times, with police officers having to calm the crowd at one point.  Some residents said the donation was divisive and money should be used for both public and private school students. 

"I find that the board considering accepting $85,000 for non-public schools to be totally separatist," said resident Adam Tirado. 

Resident Kevin Barksdale criticized the bank for offering a donation only for private school students. 

“If you can’t give the money to everyone, then you shouldn’t give the money to anybody,” Barksdale said. 

Katz said he never asked the bank to donate a specific amount or to earmark the funds for private school students. 

"It's a red herring and a distraction to talk about the bank," he said. 

Ari Weisbrot, a resident and attorney working with the group seeking to restore the bus routes, said the issue has impacted all Teaneck residents. 

“The people who I have spoken to in the past few days who asked for my help cross all race, religion and financial bounds,” he said.