DENNISVILLE – Families in Dennis Township who use the school district’s courtesy busing service have until Feb. 1 to make alternative transportation plans, as the district has told them it would no longer pay for the service.

The district has also eliminated the band program in the schools, effective this month.

The cutting of courtesy busing was expected to save the school district $100,000 as the 2024-25 schools budget was being formulated; exactly how much will be saved through making the cut at midyear was not immediately available.

There are approximately 110 students who live inside of 2 miles of their schools and were eligible for courtesy busing; how many of the 110 took advantage of the service could not be immediately determined.

The savings from the ending of the band program also was not immediately available. The program’s elimination means the loss of one-half position, and the band teacher has resigned. The district declined to say how much it would save by the elimination of the one-half position and any other costs associated with the program.

The cutbacks come as the result of a state aid reduction of about $4.3 million over recent years and after township voters twice recently rejected school district appeals for more funding.

A school district letter to the affected families, dated Dec. 16, says that subscription busing, at a cost of $962.50 per seat per year and pro-rated, might be available to those who live within 2 miles of their school and use courtesy busing.

The letter says that “students who qualify for free or reduced meals will be offered a reduced rate per seat.” Parents were urged to complete an application and provide it to the district if they want a paid seat for their student and if one becomes available. District policy says that subscription busing might not be available to everyone who wants it.

In addition, in a separate letter, all parents whose children did not use school bus transportation services were requested to opt out of district busing, an effort to consolidate runs for cost savings and efficiency.

Courtesy busing has been a matter of discussion for the last two budget seasons. For the 2023-2024 schools budget, the district asked the public to consider as part of a special ballot question a request for $266,782 to preserve courtesy busing.

Courtesy busing was touted as not only promoting student safety, but also improving attendance rates. The request was rejected at the polls.

The district again asked voters, this past September, for more funding for the schools budget, but that request also was turned down, overwhelmingly.

In the meantime, at least one parent has penned his concerns over the removal of courtesy busing to the school board.

“This decision, if implemented, would place an undue burden on many of our community’s most vulnerable families, compromise student safety, and create significant inequities in access to education,” former school board member Jeff Trout wrote.

Trout raised the issue of student safety when it comes to students being forced to walk to school, particularly along roads without sidewalks and along roadways such as Route 47 or Route 83, which he described as being “often narrow, poorly lit, and heavily trafficked.”

Similar concerns about student safety were raised when the district asked for more funding to continue courtesy busing.

Trout also pointed out that “Dennis Township lacks a local police force to provide oversight or protection, further exacerbating these safety concerns.” He said if there were crossing guards there would be less concern about safety.

Trout said charging families “thousands of dollars” to continue busing services unfairly targets low-income households, many of whom are already struggling to meet basic needs. He said these families might have to make hard spending choices, such as forgoing housing, food or health care to provide busing for their children.

He also suggested that removing courtesy busing could result in increased absenteeism, also something the district addressed when it asked taxpayers for more funding.

“I urge the school board to consider the broader implications of this proposal and to explore alternative solutions that prioritize student safety and equity,” he wrote. “Potential options could include seeking state or federal grants for transportation funding.”

On the defeated funding referendum question, he said, “It wasn‘t going to win because of the economy. And it was the optics of the matter – they gave themselves raises.”

Specifically, the business administrator received an approximately $5,000 raise, which the district was obligated to pay under her contract. Trout said while he was on the school board it did not raise taxes 2% every year; doing so, he now believes, would have alleviated taking big hits in the future.

About the loss of the band program, Chief Administrator Susan Spears wrote to parents: “I regret to inform you, as of January 2025, there will no longer be band in Dennis Township Schools. We understand that band is important to many students and mourn the loss of this program.”

Spiers said the decision was a direct result of the reduction in state aid to schools under the so-called S2 funding formula in New Jersey. S2 was enacted in 2018, with gradual cuts to school funding being made over six years, culminating with the 2024-2025 school year.

The Dennis School District lost about $4.3 million in state aid during that time. Spiers has consistently urged residents to contact their elected officials to voice concern over the state aid cuts and resulting local budget cuts, including the removal of extracurricular programs.

Parents were asked to send an application for courtesy busing, or an opt-out form, to Kelly Frazier, supervisor of transportation, at kfrazier@dtschools.org or mailed to 165 Academy Road, Dennisville, NJ 08214. The subscription bus policy, Policy 8611, and application for a seat are available on the district’s website. Those with questions are urged to call Teri Weeks, school business administrator, at 609-861-2821.

Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.