Levittown board keeps late buses limited to middle schools, asks staff to test two pickup times

The Levittown Board of Education voted on Aug. 7 to maintain late‑bus service for middle schools only this school year while asking administrators to explore modest schedule changes to boost ridership.

Superintendent Winch told the board the district’s policy requires an average of five students per quarter for a late bus to be sustained and said driver shortages and rising contractor rates have constrained the district’s ability to expand service. “Our main priority, obviously, is getting students to and from school safely every day,” Winch said.

Several board members urged caution about expanding service. Peggy said the district should “leave it as is” this year given the driver shortage and the difficulty of maintaining routes if ridership falls below the policy threshold. Mary Ann Adrian suggested adjusting pickup times to increase ridership, proposing a later pickup such as 4:30.

Miss Reeves, the district transportation official, described a practical option: because the district already runs a 4:00 bus for the LAP (learning assistance program) sixth‑grade pickup, the district could add a second on‑route pickup at about 4:45 and shuttle students efficiently rather than creating a separate route. She cautioned that much later times (for example 5:00) would be impractical and that union rules and typical applicant expectations limit the ability to hire drivers solely for late runs.

Board members agreed to keep the current middle‑school program in place for now, ask administration to pilot a two‑pickup schedule (around 4:00 and 4:45) where feasible, and continue monitoring ridership. The board left open a future policy revision if staffing or demand changes.

The board did not adopt a formal policy revision at the meeting; it requested additional data and follow‑up from administration.