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Officials outline plan for student busing with Berkeley Township as district shifts students
Summary
A district official said Berkeley Township buses or Central Regional buses are likely to provide transportation; preschool–4 students would attend Powder School and grades 5–6 would attend BTS, with pickup points mirroring current middle-school stops and accommodations for special-needs students.
During public comment, a resident asked whether a jump in the transportation line—from "$1.36" to "$2.51" as stated in the record—meant the district was buying into Berkeley Township transportation. The resident also asked where students would be picked up and whether the district had negotiated safe pickup points.
A district official who responded said they will meet with Berkeley Township in the next week or two to negotiate routes and pickup points and that the plan under discussion sends preschool through fourth grade students to Powder School while fifth- and sixth-graders would go to the BTS school. "We only need one bus to go to the 5–6 school," the official said, and estimated two to three buses for the remaining grades, with pickup points mirroring current middle-school stops.
The official confirmed accommodations would be made for students with special needs and that separate routes or smaller buses would be used when required. They also said the district has budgeted for out-of-district or homeless students and that start times differ—Berkeley's secondary start is around 7:30 a.m., while another start time mentioned was about 9:15 a.m.—which the district will address in communications to parents.
No binding transportation contract was announced at the meeting; the official described the status as preliminary negotiations with Berkeley Township and said district staff and bus coordinators would finalize routes and stops.
