Some Students Living On Dirt Roads In Weld County Could Lose Bus Ride
KEENESBURG, Colo. (CBS4) - Angry parents plan to confront a Colorado school board over changes to the district's bus service. The changes will put the brakes on all school bus service along dirt roads in parts of Weld County.
The changes could have an impact for some students in Weld County School District Re3J who live near Hudson, Keenesburg, Roggen and Prospect Valley.
To save money, the Keenesburg district's school board voted to cut seven bus routes, eliminating all trips down dirt roads. Next school year those students will only get picked up at the nearest paved road.
"They haven't said if they're going to be dropping kids at intersections of the paved roads, if they're going to have designated pull-offs," parent Chad Franke said
That means Franke's sixth- and eighth-graders will no longer get a ride to and from their home. The district may also require parents be present at the new centralized stops, rather than drop the children off on the side of the road alone.
"That is a big concern, especially parents who work -- being home at 4 p.m. to get the kids is difficult," Franke said.
Plagued with budget problems since 2009, the district's superintendent says it has no choice, and that the move saves the district a much needed $120,000.
Franke questions the plan's worth in an overall budget in the tens of millions of dollars.
Parents plan to voice their concerns over the changes at a school board meeting set for 7 p.m. at Lochbiue Middle School.