Long bus rides for Drum kids draw criticism

PHILADELPHIA — Some students who live on Fort Drum have bus rides that are too long, Betty Jones told the Board of Education Thursday night.

"When you take these children up to these schools, it no longer feels like a neighborhood school," said Ms. Jones, who said she was representing Col. Kenneth H. Riddle, the new Fort Drum garrison commander. "And, they have to pass three other schools with vacancies to get there. We want equal busing treatment for everyone."

Depending on where the students live, they are bused to either Calcium, Philadelphia, Evans Mills, Theresa or Antwerp Primary schools, or the intermediate, middle or high school.

Bus rides for the students bused to Theresa or Antwerp Primary can be more than one hour.

The students have been placed at the two schools because there is more room there, District Superintendent James Kettrick said.

But, Ms. Jones said, there are some vacancies at the closer primary schools, which the on-post students should be able to fill.

"Fort Drum students account for 65 percent of the population at these two schools," she said.

Board President Donald L. Brumfield said people know when they move in where their children will be attending school.

"It's not like we have a hidden agenda, here. They know where their kids will be bused and they have the option to move somewhere else," he said.

Mr. Brumfield also said if the board let some students chose to fill the few gaps at one of the closer schools, they would have to let students everywhere chose where they want to attend school.

He also said the length of the bus rides are within state guidelines and the district will continue to look at the issue in the future.

He asked if any board members wanted to put the issue on a future agenda and only two board members, Peter Shue and John Drodz, said yes. The approval of three board members is needed to put an item on an agenda for discussion.

Students from Donna M. Donohue's class at Calcium were also in attendance Thursday. Mrs. Donohue gave a presentation on the school's fundraising efforts to build a school in Sierra Leone.

So far, $5,675 has been raised to build the school, a latrine, a hand-washing station and to provide students there with goats and chickens for milk and food.

There will be an assembly at 1:30 p.m. today to officially send the check and praise the student's efforts.