-Virginie Delwart

Who benefits from Courtesy Busing?

That was the question lingering in my mind as I delved into the busing discussions in Berkeley Heights a few weeks ago.

As of April 30th, the answer was unexpectedly close to home—our family.

Yet, for four years, we remained blissfully unaware of this privilege.

Residing in the Fern/Hillside neighborhood, a mere 2.4 miles from Governor Livingston High School, we found ourselves just 0.1 mile, 160.93 meters, or 5’3″, too close to qualify for the mandatory bus service.

“Well… the rules are the rules, will you say? Suck it up, girl! Oh yes, for sure… but it’s hard not to feel the sting when it seems like the only thing we’re asked to do as parents in this district is to bear the burden and foot the bill.

So, for four years, I was living in blissful ignorance of the “preferential treatment” we were receiving.

Before that, during middle school time, we were paying for the subscription bus. Mrs Sheehan emailed us about the opportunity. We signed up for it, and patiently waited for the bus tours and children count to be finalized to know if we could get 2 seats. The communication was very clear and explicit. We knew the district was doing us a favor by generously transporting our kids to school in exchange of thousands of dollars.

It was a relief to anticipate that once the kids reached high school, we would finally enjoy the “free” mandatory bus service …Not so free as we know it is funded, of course, by our tax dollars and contributions to the school system. The other parents of high schoolers told us about it. We were looking forward to it and crossing that $2000+ dollars expense off our budget.

When our eldest entered high school, Mrs Sheehan sent us the transportation email informing us the kid qualified for it. For four years, we received the email just telling us THAT: we qualified with a link to the rules/regulations. Mind you, I think I still need to open the link but as you can see from the communication from 2022-2023, 2023-2024 I retrieved (see screenshots below), nothing indicated that we were benefiting from BOE Courtesy busing.

And then we got the 2024-2025 transportation email. After four years of blissful ignorance of our privileges, we did not qualify. Shock, incomprehension, and anger ensued.

Why on earth, all of a sudden, does the kid not qualify for the damn bus?

Why the sudden change?

We live 0.1mile or 160.93 meter or 5’3″ too close to the high school. Now, Mountain Avenue, Diamond Hill Road, and Glenside Avenue are no longer dangerous roads and crossings. Now, a fifty minute walk, as per google, is perfectly acceptable for my big kids.

Anger simmered as we realized that for four years, we had been misled into believing we were within the busing zone. Were they lying to us or simply concealing the truth? The prospect of shelling out another $1000 only added insult to injury.

I’m appalled by the district’s disregard for student safety, expecting children to trek 2.4 miles, crossing major roads with heavy traffic and inadequate pedestrian infrastructure.

And under the current circumstances, without courtesy bus service, we’re left scrambling for alternatives for our youngest child. The kid will either walk home or get in the car with another parent, a senior, or hitchhike.

Because, @dear BOE and District people, this is the reality of BH families…both parents are working.

I am shocked again by the poor management and lack of foresight displayed by the BOE and district officials on this matter.

This topic has been under discussion since last year.

But most importantly, in my view, unless it’s practical, safe, and reasonable distance for students to walk to GL, all children residing in the main part of Berkeley Heights should have access to mandatory bus transportation (all the areas before Union Ave, Diamond Hill Rd) should be part of the mandatory bus. The town should have thought twice before tucking GL almost in Summit.

At a minimum, implementing a price cap or temporarily extending courtesy busing for those who were eligible last year must occur at the next meeting.

2021-2022 Subscription busing to CMS