Bus routes on new website

Question: I like the new website, however some things are hard to find. Is there

a way to find the bus routes for this year?

Answer: I'm glad you like the new website, but I'm sorry you're having trouble finding some things. Please feel free to call me at 954-2642 or email me at demarsb@bpcsd.org and I will be happy to help you find what you're looking for.

Regarding your specific question about bus routes, when we receive them from the transportation department, we will post them as a news item and add them to the transportation page (under "Services").

- answered by Betsy DeMars, communications specialist and webmaster

Bus transportation for after-school activities

Question: If we want to encourage our children to attend and participate in after-school activities and clubs at the middle school, why are they unable to ride the bus home with the students from TLC and the intermediate school? Since the buses are already out on a scheduled run, it shouldn't cost the district any extra money to provide the transportation. As we know, many parents work and are unavailable to pick their children up from these worthwhile activities. Research has shown that keeping students active after school is essential to encouraging positive choices and preventing opportunities to get into "trouble." The kids whose parents can't pick them up are the ones that need to be there the most, because they are the ones that are most likely going home to an empty house. It seems sad that many students may be missing out on these opportunities due to "logistics." This is an area that is definitely worth considering making a change.

Answer: I agree with you 100 percent on all counts. Yes, extracurricular activities are important for all students, especially students in the middle school. The benefits of participating in extracurriculars are well-documented. However, the reality is that providing transportation for students who participate in after-school activities is an added cost, and unfortunately in this era of belt-tightening, it's a cost we've decided to cut.

What are the exact cost savings for outsourcing transportation and food service?

Question: Could the exact cost savings numbers (as they relate to outsourcing transportation and food service) please be posted on Plain Talk? Could you please detail our contractual obligations, which do not allow us to outsource food and transportation? If contractual obligations exist it seems as though putting such discussions in front of tax payers is deterring tax payers from addressing the more productive ideas.

Answer: Because you posed several related questions, I thought it wise to address them at once.

Outsourcing of these services is not precluded by the contracts which are in force; however there is a very significant challenge to doing so. The CSEA contract is set to be renegotiated this year, so this is a relevant discussion.

The Taylor Law (http://www.perb.state.ny.us/stat.asp) holds that boards of education are not able to unilaterally outsource business functions which have previously been the exclusive domain of a bargaining unit. This means that the bargaining unit would have to vote in agreement with the outsourcing. This is an unlikely scenario, to be sure.

However, it’s important to note that the round-table discussions are informational in purpose. It is not useless for taxpayers to be made aware of the challenges involved in making changes to the district. We agree that it’s important not to dwell on things that can’t be changed. We regard it as also important to cover areas that people may be curious about – participants walk away knowing more than they knew before.

It’s also worthwhile to note that the next few years may introduce large changes from the state government, including changes to the Taylor Law. If taxpayers are well informed on topics such as these then they can more effectively advocate for changes.
-answered by Ed Szumowski, Board of Education Vice President

Outsourcing costs, budget documents and salary questions

Question: Is there a location on the B-P website where taxpayers can see dollar amounts attached to budget ideas being considered for the 2011-12 budget? If not, I would like to request that B-P share on its website some true dollar amounts, costs and savings for budget ideas being considered.

I would like to know the approximate cost savings of outsourcing B-P's food/lunch program and the approximate cost savings of outsourcing our transportation. This cost savings number might potentially include the sale of some buses on the B-P equipment list.

As a taxpayer and employee in the private sector, I, like many taxpayers, have had to accept a pay freeze for several years, and many of us have had to do this in an attempt to sustain our own employment.

With that idea in mind I would like to request information on what the approximate dollar savings would be if the entire B-P staff (administrative, support and teaching) were all to agree to NO pay increase in the coming 2011-12 school year. I believe this is a legitimate item that should be on the table for discussion.

I am hoping the cost savings numbers that I have requested can be shared so I can better understand our situation and I am hoping it will allow us to make informed decisions and help us all decide where to concentrate our efforts. It seems we are discussing combining athletic programs, what I consider a potentially negative impact on our school and students, and we are considering this prior to committing to smaller steps such as outsourcing food and transportation, both of which I believe have less impact on our school and students.

Answer: All public schools in New York are required to make their budget documents available to the public, both online and in school offices at least two weeks prior to the budget vote. At B-P, we strive to make the budget development process as transparent as possible through our community roundtable forums and the information that we put online and in our newsletters.

In regards to outsourcing, please see the minutes from the last community forum [click here]. At this forum, which was held on Dec. 13, community members weighed the pros and cons of outsourcing our food or transportation services. In the end, the community’s opinion was that there is a much bigger picture to outsourcing than first appears. Community members felt that outsourcing could lower district morale, take away our control in some areas and potentially compromise quality. In addition, our current contractual obligations prohibit outsourcing.

Some time ago, after a thorough investigation into the costs of outsourcing, the district committed to operating a transportation department and has even made infrastructure upgrades to the bus garage through a voter-approved capital project. Because of the investment we have made, the district feels it would be somewhat irresponsible to make the decision to outsource transportation at this time.

Outsourcing could also have a potentially negative effect on the entire B-P community given that almost 70 percent of our non-instructional staff members live within the district. If we were to outsource these positions, we would have less control over how the programs operate and whether the affected employees would be rehired to work in the district.

In the end, we feel it is a better decision to accept the loss of a potential small savings that outsourcing may provide to maintain the quality and control of our programs.

If the entire B-P Central School District staff (administrative, support and teaching) all agreed to NO pay increase in the coming 2011-12 school year, the cost savings would be $860,516.
-answered by Stephen Tomlinson, District Superintendent

Backtracking buses

Question: I live on McQueen Road. Some days the school bus goes one way on McQueen Road and then comes back after a few minutes. This must be a waste of fuel. I was told that the buses were not to backtrack. So, why do they?

Answer: Bus routes, in general, are very complex. We redesigned them this year to minimize overlapping and backtracking, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. There are several reasons why this bus is backtracking: There may be safety concerns, a student with special needs on that route, etc. If you'd like a specific reason, you should call the transportation office at 954-2570.
- answered by Stephen Tomlinson, Superintendent

Idling buses

Question: I was dropping my children off at the TLC bus loop this morning. It was a beautiful fall day, sunny with little to no wind. There were four buses idling in the bus loop waiting to let the children off the buses. As we have all experienced periodically, the exhaust fumes from the buses was heavy due to the still air. I understand the five-minute idle policy, but the health and well-being of our children is first, and I, like most parents, want the safety of all children to be priority one. Diesel exhaust fumes cause headaches, nausea, cancer and other respiratory diseases. It was a gross display.

Answer: You are correct, Broadalbin-Perth has a five-minute idling policy for our buses, which is consistent with school district policies across the state. When buses pull into the loop, drivers are supposed to turn off their engines if they're going to be sitting there for longer than five minutes. If, on the morning you're describing, the buses were idling for more than five minutes, that's a problem. We recognize the seriousness of fumes and, in the future, will ensure that the district's policy is enforced.
- answered by Stephen Tomlinson, District Superintendent

Concerns about cold-weather busing

Question: I think its wonderful that the school is trying hard to stretch a dollar, but I have concerns about the new bus policy for in-town kids. What happens in bitterly cold winter weather when the children are left standing a half a block away from their homes waiting on the bus to pick them up? There are no shelters in place and in previous years I would allow my little ones (primary school age) to sit in the house while I watched for the bus. On some days buses can run upwards of 20-30 minutes late. I feel that this amount of time is way too long for kids to be left unprotected in the harsh winter elements. Being an easy-going person I am rolling with the change, but am also concerned about the increased personal vehicle traffic to the schools on bitter cold days -- after speaking with my neighbors, we all decided we would rather take our children to school on those days than allow them to sit outside when conditions aren't suitable.
What plans does the school have to remedy the situation?

Answer: I understand your dilemma. However, the Board of Education felt that its decision to eliminate door-to-door pick-up in the village was a healthy compromise between raising taxes and eliminating all pick-up within two miles of the district -- they were being responsive to district taxpayers.

Where's the bus schedule?

Question: Here it is one day before school starts and no one knows what time to have the kids out for the bus.

Answer: We sincerely apologize for the delay in publishing the 2010-11 bus routes. Typically, the routes change very little from year to year. That was the case this year, except for routes in the Village of Broadalbin, where door-to-door pick-up was eliminated and bus stops established.

Be sure to check the transportation page on the district website frequently since, as students enter or leave the district, bus routes might change.
- answered by Marco Zumbolo, School Business Administrator

Bus routes for 2010-11 school year

Question: I was wondering when the new bus routes for the 2010-11 school year would be posted. The 09-10 bus routes are still up on the website.

Answer: We'll have them posted as soon as we can. We're making a lot of changes, so it's taking longer to finalize the routes than it has in previous years. As soon as the routes are finalized, they'll be sent to the district webmaster for placement on the website. Sorry for the delay - we appreciate your patience!
- answered by Marco Zumbolo, School Business Administrator

Solution needed for substitute bus drivers

Question: Now that this school year is at an end, I hope that next year something will be done about the bus runs. When there is a sub on a run and they are late, it makes it hard for people who have to work. Also, I have seen drivers reading the route list and driving at the same time -- this is not safe! Some subs have even driven past kids, and when you call the school, you're told that you're wrong!

Answer: You're right, we definitely need to come up with a solution for substitute bus drivers. There are a myriad of issues that arise from subs who are not familiar with specific bus runs and the children that ride them, including the information on their transportation request forms. As for what you've heard from the bus garage when you call, I have not witnessed that myself, but I have heard similar complaints when people have called me on bus issues.

Budget Area 2: Transportation

During the final Community Roundtable, which took place on Monday, March 8, participants discussed each area of the school budget and made recommendations to the Board of Education regarding which programs and services could be cut and which should be maintained. In order to keep the conversation going, we invite readers to post their thoughts on the following question that was presented to participants at the Community Roundtable. (Click here to read a PDF document that outlines the steps taken so far in the budget development process.)

During the second Community Roundtable in November, participants discussed topics related to transportation. Some of the participants’ most common recommendations were:

• Safety is paramount: Eliminating bus transportation within a specified radius around the schools and asking kids to walk is an accident waiting to happen.
• Establishing bus stops in the village makes sense.
• Field trips that do not directly relate to the curriculum should be eliminated.
• The district should continue to maintain a relatively new fleet of buses to minimize the impact on local taxes.