District 49 bus fees & stops for 2011-1012

[hollyt00]

http://www.gazette.com/articles/lewi...-district.html

It looks like D2, D11, D8 and D3 (correct me if I'm wrong) are the only districts that won't be charging... I am unsure of the situation for Manitou but I know that Cheyenne Mt does not have bussing.

[captain_hug99]

I would assume that D2 and D11 won't due to the high reduced/free lunch status of their families.

[lurtsman]

For parents contemplating their future living arrangements:

This is a risky situation for 2 types of people. Those have children that will need bus service, and those that will need to sell a house and would like more parents to be interested. The best way to handle this when you are looking at signing a long term lease or purchasing a piece of property is to choose something very close to the schools your children will be needing. If it takes less than 15 minutes to walk there, you won't need to be very concerned about the bus system. You may not want a 1st grader walking 15 minutes, but it is also a short drive and as they grow older it won't be a bad walk.

To avoid the risk: Buy near the school. The schools may try to levy a property tax. (Hadn't heard the term mill levy used before and had to google it, props to the person who used it.) Several of us, myself included, will work hard to defeat any increases in property tax. You can either fight those who don't do not want to be taxed, or opt out of the situation by moving close to the school. Some areas won't have bus service--just leave those houses to the elderly or couples without kids. (If they have a surprise pregnancy, they have a few years to find a new place before the kid needs schooling)

Sorry to hear about your troubles, and I hope this helps anyone else planning for their future house. Bus service can't be relied upon (especially in less compact areas farther from the school), but the school is unlikely to physically move.

[MrsMac]

It simply isn't practical to say "buy a house near the school" to ensure there won't be issues (or bus fees) getting kids to school. I have kids in three different schools (elementary, middle and high school) located in three different directions; which one would I buy near? And being within a 15 minute walk to any of them simply isn't practical in the winter here. The cold, snow and wind would often make walking impossible, even for older kids, even if we were closer. And what if you simply can't afford to buy near the school you want your kids to attend?

Better advice would be to research the school district and see how transportation issues are handled in the area you are planning to buy in. District 20 is going to fee based busing next year but I have no problem whatsoever with that (we are moving to that district this summer) because of the way it was handled. There was a task force (which included parents) study done, a variety of fee structures were looked at and there were lots of public meetings on the matter. (Totally the antithesis of the way District 49 handled the bus fee issue.) I was also pleased that the set up fee will be half what D49 charged and they decided to cap fees at $50 per month per family. (I will end up paying $500 a year rather than the current $1080 I pay now.)

Most importantly, if fees go up or bus routes change in the future I feel confident that D20 will make changes after parent input and with the idea that what works best for the district's kids and families as a whole is important, too. That made a long term investment in a house in D20 something I was willing to do, even if it's not in walkable distance to all the kids' schools!

[otowi]

You should get closest to the elementary school rather than middle or high, because the kids there are younger and need to walk shorter distances. And yes, kids can walk in winter - all of us did growing up here and kids do it today - they just need to be dressed properly! With few exceptions, the schools are all good, so buy where you can afford and your kids should still be getting a fine education.

[phetaroi]

My goodness...what would Coloradans do if they had to attend their neighborhood schools like many, many people in the U.S. have to do?