MAGNOLIA, Texas – Parents have said they're not happy about the new bus routes Magnolia Independent School District unveiled earlier this week.
They're concerned that the new bus stops are too far and too dangerous for the kids to walk. The first day of school starts next week.
The new bus route
Shelley Kutina has three daughters who attend schools in Magnolia ISD. She said last year, the bus would either pick her kids up or drop off her kids at the end of the street or near their home.
This year, the bus route is about 1.5 miles away from their house.
Kutina mapped out the route while driving.
It took three minutes driving, but the (walk) would take more than 20 minutes.
“Look around," said Jeremy Katzenberger, who has three boys, two who currently attend Magnolia ISD schools. "There’s no sidewalks. The only place they have to go is in the ditch."
He said he's worried about the kids walking on the roads, the high grass, which could contain critters, and this distance they would have to walk.
“My boys will have more than a quarter-mile walk, which doesn’t seem like it’s all that far, but they’ve got two blind curves in the way, and we lack the infrastructure that’s needed to allow safe pedestrian transport," Katzenberger said. "So you don’t have a sidewalk for the kids to actually walk on (and) they have to walk in the street, and as you can see, we have some vegetation, deep ditches and all sorts of critters and wildlife."
Why the change?
The district said it's consolidating bus routes to save taxpayers money, minimize certain routes bus drivers have to travel on rural roads and to minimize the amount of time students ride the bus.
The district said administration made the decision to consolidate the routes after beta testing last year, and the board supported the decision.
Magnolia ISD said the ultimate goal is to benefit the taxpayers and said in several bullet points that the reasoning for the change comes down to this:
- The safety of our bus drivers and students having to maneuver in areas that are not conducive for a bus to turn around and/or exit. While we have done this in the past, we are no longer putting our bus drivers or buses at risk.
- The consolidation will eliminate the need for seven drivers, who are in demand across the state.
- An approximate savings of $600,000 to $900,000 which will go back into the classroom. We currently spend 6.4% of our budget on transportation where the average district spends 3.4%.
- Revising the routes to be more efficient.
- We heard from parents that students were spending too much time on the bus, so the consolidated routes, on average, have reduced (times) up to 35 minutes.
- Picking up and dropping off at a reasonable time.
“I can understand a lot of reasons, such as low staff on bus drivers or trying to save money, et cetera, but putting our kids' safety at risk just doesn’t make sense to me," Kutina said.
The parents said they're also concerned because of registered sex offenders who live near the bus stop.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety website, there are six registered sex offenders located near the bus stop.
"The bus stop has six registered sex offenders in that area as well, so that's a big concern for a mom of three girls," Kutina said.
"Ultimately, I would like to see the school district (apply) some reality to their efficiency plan that they’ve put into place," Katzenberger said. “Clearly, they’re trying to be efficient -- we get that. However, when you look at the practical application of it, it creates too many risks for the kids, both them getting to the bus stop and any external factors whether it be environmental and or the offenders that we’ve mapped.”
Parents speaking up
Kutina said she emailed the district's superintendent the video of the new bus stop.
“I took the video this morning and sent it to the superintendent of Magnolia and just asked him to come watch the video and come (see) what they’re asking our children to do," Kutina said. "He responded with he’ll look into it. I’ve called the bus barn and (I) try to explain our situation and talk to them about it.”
She and other parents said they hope the routes change by the first week of school. If not, they plan on attending the next school board meeting.
District's full response to new routes
Magnolia ISD provided the following statement to parents on social media and to KPRC:
Collectively, as a district and community, we have a shared responsibility for the safety of our children. In the past, our families have been accustomed to multiple stops within neighborhoods and subdivisions. While this type of service has been routine for many of our families, the district is at a point where we have to make a change to improve the service we provide to our district and to our taxpayers.
There are many districts who do not pick up students who live within a 2-mile radius of their campus. We are only consolidating stops within subdivisions. We are still providing a service to all of our families.
The decision to consolidate routes was an administrative decision made after beta testing last year, supported by the board, in order to provide the following benefits to our parents and taxpayers. These include:
- The safety of our bus drivers and students having to maneuver in areas that are not conducive for a bus to turn around and/or exit. While we have done this in the past, we are no longer putting our bus drivers or buses at risk.
- The consolidation will eliminate the need for seven drivers who are in demand across the state.
- An approximate savings of $600,000 to $900,000 which will go back into the classroom. We currently spend 6.4% of our budget on transportation where the average district spends 3.4%.
- Revising the routes to be more efficient.
- We heard from parents that students were spending too much time on the bus so the consolidated routes, on average, have reduced up to 35 minutes.
- Picking up and dropping off at a reasonable time.
As stewards of taxpayer dollars, we are committed to financial responsibility as well as the safety and well being of our students. We understand that living in rural Montgomery County has challenges (i.e. sidewalks, street lights) but that is also why many of us chose to live here.
The district offers early morning childcare options beginning at 6:30 a.m. for $10/week and After School Adventures Program for students until 6:30 p.m.