West Metro School District Discusses Busing Change

Some parents in one west metro school district may have to pay for their children to ride the school bus.

As part of a cost cutting plan, Eastern Carver County Schools is considering charging parents for bus service within two miles of a school.

"We want to keep cuts as far away from the classroom as possible, so looking at something like transportation ... that doesn't have a direct impact on the classroom," district spokesman Brett Johnson said.

The school board is also discussing a two-mile no busing zone, which would allow the district to cut routes and save nearly $200,000.

If we are going to make a change like this, we want a lot of discussion ahead of time, even before we might have to make that decision, Johnson said.

"I can understand their challenges in having to find somewhere to cut something, but I think there would be a lot of parents who would be upset if they couldn't have their kids take the bus, said Maria Awes, a mother of two.

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