Bus Routes Altered, Address Concerns of Green Brook Parents

A few changes in the Green Brook School District’s transportation system will ensure the fleet of more than 20 buses is running in the most efficient manner while also reducing some parental concerns.

At the September Board of Education meeting, a parent expressed concerns that the busing schedule had her son riding as much as 45 minutes to and from classes, even though they only live several minutes away from the school.

“We listened to the concerns that some of the parents raised,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Richard Labbe said at Monday’s meeting. “It sounds like they came with a change” that will satisfy many of the parents.

Board Administrator Michael Colling explained that the district runs the buses on a triple-tiered schedule, with buses traveling first to the high school, then to the middle school and then the elementary school.

“We have to make sure that we are running in the most efficient manner. According to the county, we are running efficiently,” said Colling, who pointed out that the district’s transportation system had been named the second most efficient in Somerset County.

Colling also noted that the district started the year short-handed as the result of staffing changes within the bus driver staff.

“We knew we needed these drivers,” said Colling. “We have filled out our staff” with the hiring of two additional drivers at the September meeting, Collins added.

“We were able to complete our roster of employees and able to re-route and re-do some routes and provide some relief,” he said.