Board Set To Mull Transportation For Explorer K-8

BROOKSVILLE - The Hernando County School Board has some big decisions to make about transportation for children who live within two miles of school.

At a 1 p.m. workshop Monday at the district's headquarters in Brooksville, the board will discuss transportation for students at Explorer K-8, the new 1,800-student school set to open this August off Northcliffe Boulevard in Spring Hill.

But with local bussing costs for the school estimated to cost the district $654,000 or more, transportation director Linda Smith is recommending a new, one-mile limit around all schools for bus stops.

"That way, we would have consistency throughout the district," she said. "Right now, the closest stops are all over the board, and just aren't consistent in terms of distance to the schools."

State funding for transportation only covers students who would have to walk farther than two miles to get to school. However, the school board has historically funded transportation countywide for children who live within that zone for safety reasons, including young children who would have to cross busy intersections, pass homes owned by known sexual predators or walk on roads without sidewalks.

"The state hasn't recognized it - but because we haven't had sidewalks or lighting, we (haven't) wanted students waiting out in the country or the dark," said longtime board member and Chairwoman Sandra Nicholson.

Currently, the district is spending nearly $1 million to transport about 1,372 students who live within the zone, districtwide. However, the cost of transporting an additional 979 students from Explorer K-8 would nearly double the number of children bussed at taxpayers' expense.

Establishing the one-mile limit around all schools could save the district an estimated $746,000, Smith said.

Nicholson said she thinks the one-mile limit could be a good compromise.

"There are exceptions to every rule, of course, particularly for special students," she conceded. "One mile is probably good, but I don't want to jeopardize anyone's safety."

Board member Pat Fagan expressed similar views, though he said he is not sure how he feels about the issue yet.

"We've got to make some major decisions in the near future. We are spending an awful lot of money, but we have to look at safety as well," he said. "I will take my time and make a wise decision about it."

Nicholson has asked that district officials invite the county's transportation planning coordinator, Dennis Dix, to the workshop to discuss public transportation options, such as routes for students not eligible for school transportation.

"Students take busses in big cities," she said. "It's something worth looking at, and (Explorer) may be a good place that they can help us out."

Current fare for students on Hernando County's public transportation, THEBus, is 50 cents each way.

Board member Diane Bonfield said she just wants to make sure the decision is fair for all district students, and is not solely based on numbers for Explorer.

"We have to treat the new school like the other schools," she said. "With discussion, I could be swayed - but I feel that what we've been doing is working, and when something seems to work for us, it should remain the same."