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Parents press Deptford board over chaotic school transportation; district leaders outline fixes
Summary
Multiple parents and residents told the Deptford Township Board of Education on Sept. 16 that inaccurate stops, poor communication and unreliable routes marred the first weeks of school; district leaders provided a start-of-year operations update and the board approved related transportation contracts.
Dozens of residents urged the Deptford Township Board of Education on Sept. 16 to address widespread transportation problems after the opening weeks of school, while district leaders said steps taken over the summer had improved operations and the board approved several transportation contracts.
Parents and residents described a range of problems, including inaccurate stops, centralized pickup issues for kindergarten students and a lack of timely communication from the Transportation Department. Mr. Rhodes requested that future agendas and materials be posted earlier so attendees can review them ahead of meetings. Several parents asked the board to consider door-to-door service for students with individualized education programs; one parent raised concerns about due process in a related discipline matter and said he would provide written documentation to the board.
"We had inaccurate stops and no clear communication about changes," said one parent who spoke during public comment. Mayor Medany, representing the municipality, asked the district to participate in a Memorial Library partnership and cited state statute governing such collaborations.
School Business Administrator Ronald Latham gave the board an update on start-of-year transportation operations and said the department had made progress over the summer; Superintendent Kevin Kanauss provided additional context on the history of the department and the improvements implemented before school began. The board later approved several transportation agreements as part of its finance agenda, including a general transportation agreement with the Camden County Education Services Commission and joint contracts with Gateway Regional and Franklin Township.
The finance motion also included a joint-transportation contract to bus four Deptford students on a Gateway route to Bankbridge Development Center, Sewell, effective Sept. 1 through June 30 at a total cost of $38,233.00, and a joint contract with Franklin Township for seven students to Yale School at $14,282.15 per student (total $99,975.60). These agreements were approved on a roll-call vote (motion carried 9-0).
Board members did not take additional formal action during the public comment portion beyond scheduling the executive session for later in the meeting. The board said it will continue to receive documentation from parents and monitor transportation service in the coming weeks.
