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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
The Rutherford County School Board has sparked controversy throughout the district, and amongst themselves, by narrowly approving “parental responsibility zones” where school buses will no longer transport students.
In a very close 4-3 vote, school board members decided that elementary students in grades K-5 who live within one mile of their assigned school will not be eligible for bus service beginning in the fall. The same is true for middle and high school students who live within a mile and a half of their school.
Instead, parents will be responsible for ensuring that their child has transportation to school. Many are concerned with how this newfound responsibility will affect parents getting to work on time, while others have safety concerns with the possibility of many younger children being left to walk to school.
The motion, which came from school board member Butch Vaughn, is expected to save the school district about 3 million dollars.
This planned savings comes at a time when the school board has been working on the district’s budget.
School Board Chair Claire Maxwell says cuts are necessary.
“We are in a hole — a deep hole,” Maxwell said. “We have tried to hold the line. We knew this was coming and we haven’t been able to do that.”
In the same meeting last Thursday, the board also voted to work towards a 17% raise to bus drivers. This final amount was a compromise after the Rutherford County Bus Contractors Organization asked for a 35% increase.
On Friday, RCBCO confirmed that they still intended to stop transporting students on May 1 if the district did not continue with negotiation efforts. About 70% of Rutherford County bus drivers are with RCBCO.
