Lakewood Township Committee mulls courtesy busing deal

A deal to avert Lakewood's courtesy busing crisis this month and continue providing some 10,000 public and private school students with transportation through June, continues to rest in the hands of the Township Committee.

The governing body is considering whether to give the District $2.5 million in surplus funding to cover most of the $3.5 million needed to provide courtesy busing until school ends for the summer. The District would absorb the other $1 million.

The cost is significantly lower than the $6.2 million than the state was seeking from residents in a January referendum.

Lakewood Township Committeeman Meir Lichtenstein said the state provided a lengthy explanation to Township officials, but ensured them it was to help balance the budget.

"They said that if they were able to help pay for the entire courtesy busing for the year based on that referendum, that would make it easier for them to go back and deal with the deficit that they have on the entire budget," said Lichtenstein.

Lichtenstein noted officials are concerned about funding for courtesy busing come September.

He pointed out that an agreement signed last summer by the Township, the Lakewood Board of Education, the private schools, and the state monitor was to continue courtesy busing to the end of the year.

"There was a cushion in there of up to $1 million from the town that if in fact that would be needed to support the busing, the state or the Board of Ed, depending on which mechanism was using, would be able to come to us and ask us for that money. Part of that deal was that there had to be a plan going forward for the next couple of years, not just a one-time fix. Unfortunately as it turns out, we didn't even make it through the year with the busing in tact," Lichtenstein said.

Lichtenstein also noted that the issue involves many different aspects, including whether taxpayer money should be spent to support courtesy busing for 10,000 students.

"On the other side of it, the private schools for example, agreed to change their schedules. Had they not changed their schedules, then the cost for mandated busing would be much higher. We're also dealing with over 2,500 public school children who need to get to school and who are unable to get to school, at least that's what the parents told us, and would have a very difficult time in causing a lot of significant changes in schedules," said Lichtenstein.

Lichtenstein said officials are looking to figure out a way to quiet the issue now and for the future so that people's lives aren't in turmoil.

"I'm talking about the school schedules as well as the parents of these 10,000 children who need to make changes to their schedule, and of course paramount, is the safety of our children," Lichtenstein.

Lichtenstein also addressed criticism about the Township not being prepared to deal with the courtesy busing crisis, if they knew there was an existing problem.

"The truth is, we didn't because we had a signed deal. It was only maybe six to eight weeks ago that we were told about this referendum, and that is just not enough time, no matter how many resources you have, that is not enough time to put 10,000 children on the street," he said.