BREA : High School Bus Service to Be Axed

In an effort to save money, Brea-Olinda Unified School District trustees decided this week to eliminate school bus service for high school students and charge junior high school students $50 a year for transportation.

By unanimous vote Monday night, trustees adopted the policy following a public hearing. Bus service for elementary school children will not be affected.

Officials said they hope to save the district about $25,000 the first year; the policy will go into effect in September.

Gary Goff, the school district’s business manager, said higher fees may be charged to junior high students in the future and a fee might also be charged to elementary school students.

But for now, the school board will monitor the effects of the new policy and determine what will be done next, he said.

Goff said eliminating bus service will affect only a small number of the 1,450 students at Brea-Olinda High School. In the school year just ended, about 60 students took the bus, he said.

“In effect, the district was subsidizing the transportation of those students,” Goff said. “A majority of the students were using cars or car pools.”

With the funds raised by charging junior high students $50 for bus service, Goff said the school district hopes to reduce the general fund money being spent on student transportation. He said the school district receives $328,000 a year from the state for student transportation but spends about $500,000.

Goff said the state grant for student transportation has not increased in more than 10 years despite higher expenses in gasoline, maintenance and other costs.

About 300 junior high students are expected to take school buses next year, Goff said. The district has eight buses and six minivans.