NEWPORT BEACH : Schools May Impose Fees for Bus Rides

Students who take the bus to school in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District would have to pay a new, $150-a-year fee next school year under a plan being considered by the school board.

Although they did not take final action at their meeting this week, some trustees said Tuesday that they are leaning toward approving the fee, which they say is needed to help balance the district’s budget. They added, however, that their support depends on poorer families’ being allowed to apply for a reduced price or free rides.

“If this (fee) in no way would keep a child from being able to get to school, I would support it,” said board member Sherry Loofburrow.

The new fee would be $40 per quarter, $80 per semester or $150 per year for each of the first two children in a family. A family’s third child could ride at a discount and additional children free. Children who are enrolled in special education classes or are disabled would also ride free.

In addition, families with children eligible for reduced or free lunches would also have lower bus fees, of $40 a semester at most.

If adopted, the fee is expected to raise $225,000 for a district that has been saddled with budget problems.

The plan is based on a bus fee program that the district operated from September, 1980, to June, 1988. The district stopped charging for rides to school because the issue came under legal attack in some parts of California.

A lower court ruled that bus fees are not legal, but that ruling was overturned on appeal, prompting some districts to begin collecting the fees. The state Supreme Court is expected to hear the case this year.

Under earlier versions of the program, the Newport-Mesa district was able to raise about $200,000 a year. District officials said the money helped offset the costs of running the buses and employing drivers, estimated at $750,000 this year.

The buses transport about 3,500 students daily, and about 10% of those riders would probably quit riding the buses if the fee is approved, said Carol Stocker, director of management support services.