Dear Berkeley Heights School Community,
The purpose of this communication is to provide information related to district transportation for the 2024-2025 school year.
The Board of Education has been working with District Administration for some time to address concerns and provide clarity regarding student qualifications for courtesy busing. There were questions about who qualified for courtesy busing and what criteria were used to make this determination.
At the Board of Education level, this has been discussed over the course of the past year. The BOE hired a consulting firm that was tasked with conducting an audit to identify roadways that may be hazardous for students walking to school. The consulting firm presented their recommendation to the Board in February and there was a proposed revision to Policy 8600-Transportation, which listed specific hazardous roads. There were questions related to the process, language, and criteria used by the consulting firm and the policy change was not approved.
At the April 24, 2024, Board of Education meeting, the Board voted on and approved a motion that the district will provide free transportation, as required by law, to eligible students based on their mileage to and from school. Students are eligible for transportation if they live farther than 2 miles from their elementary or middle school or farther than 2.5 miles from the high school. Per state law, N.J.S.A. 18A:39-1, this calculation is based on the shortest distance to/from school by roadway or walkway and may not necessarily be the route that is taken to school.
The district will be renewing its current bus routes for the 2024-2025 school year. Additional open seats will be offered on a paid subscription basis. Currently, the Subscription Bus Program costs $1000 per seat, however, the possibility of a reduced rate will be discussed at the May 7th BOE meeting where action may be taken. More information regarding the availability of open seats and the subscription rate will be shared once a decision is finalized. Please note, registering for subscription busing does not necessarily guarantee a seat as availability on each bus is yet to be determined.
Below are some Frequently Asked Questions from the Department of Education on Transportation for your reference.
School Finance: Student Transportation (nj.gov)
Best,
Robert Nixon
Acting Superintendent
Berkeley Heights Public Schools