The following update was provided to TLS by Rabbi Avraham Krawiac of the LSTA:
We are happy to share with the entire Lakewood Community, that due to the collaborative efforts of all the schools, the bus vendors and the LSTA we will be starting the school year with 99.5 percent of the Lakewood students on buses.
LSTA busing runs Monday Through Friday beginning on September 1st, 2017 and ending on June 30th, 2018. Any other days (including all Sunday busing) are serviced privately between the schools and bus vendors.
All schools will be getting their bus passes within the next few days and will then be sending them to parents.
We have finalized all the routes and drivers will be practicing their routes before the year starts.
There will be no change-requests or move requests for the first four weeks of school. This policy will be enforced across the board in order to allow the vendors to be able to service the routes in a safe and efficient manner. We understand that some of the stops or routes may need to be altered and improved but ask all parents to allow the routes to settle in for four weeks before requesting any changes.
For the first week of school, all primary children MUST have a name tag with address pinned to their uniforms (clothing) both to and from school. Failure to do so, may result in your child not being allowed on the bus. Primary parents must meet their children at their drop off locations daily.
Please note that some children may have different AM and PM stops – so it’s important to look closely at both AM and PM bus passes to confirm stop locations.
For those that haven’t yet received their final aid-in-lieu payment from last year, they will be dispersed by early next week.
A special thanks to the individuals that take care of transportation in each school. The more than 99 percent of children that are starting school with bus service is a tribute to their extraordinary efforts. Through your efforts, we were able to begin bidding early and have access to a large number of buses.
We are here to serve you and look to continue to improve in any way we can in order to serve the Lakewood Community.
Thank you Rabbi Krawiac for all your efforts. we could not have had a better person to do this magnificent job.. may hashem give you the strength to withstand all the challenges that come your way. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Disbursed not dispersed
For the past 8 years each of my children have had a bus stop by my neighbors house. This year I just got my first pass for my 8 yr. old child and they have his stop about a 8 minutes walk from our house on a very busy street with no sidewalks. All these years the stop has been the same now all of a sudden they changed it. When I called to speak with someone they told me that there is nothing they could do for the next 4 weeks. I then asked the lady when you did the routes you looked at the maps and see were my house is and that stop. It not safe for a child of that age to be walking alone. Since I have other kids on buses to how could I be all the stops at the same time. I even asked her if she would let her own 8 yr. old child walk on a dangerous street and she had no comment. I am very happy that almost everyone in town will have busing but at what cost if safety is not even involved in making these routes.
Does this include the kids which aren’t accepted into any school yet?
are there any kids not in school yet?
To Boogies
99.9 per cent of kids were accepted. There are probably a bunch that have chosen not to go to to where they were accepted but the Lsta can’t force them to go to a school that their parents don’t like.
My child also got a redicilous stop. Honestly, the LSTA was very disorganized when I called and had no idea what happened. There was no reason for my first grader to get a stop four blocks away when there are stops from his school closer. And his afternoon route was not yet picked up so maybe we are the statistic?
I hope and pray that we are not once again from the 5% and If we are not I feel very bad for those 5% been there done that and it ain’t fun
This is how problems start…… .5% is not 5%
Rabbi Krawiec and his staff have done an amazing job and all with a pleasant attitude.
Wow!!! 99.5% that’s better then any year. Finally something being run properly in this town.
To “What about the 5%”
It’s .5 not 5
That’s wonderful I just hope we are not going to be in the 5% who have no bussing. I can’t handle having to drive every day for another year. Also what about the compensation for last year. I’m still waiting on the second checks for 4 children?
still waiting to get paid for no bussing most of last year. even though my kids are more then 2 miles from school and are mandatory bussing. thank the lsta for using my bussing money on other courtesy bussing!!
What does LSTA stand for?
L is probably Lakewood… Now will someone fill in the rest please….
Not 5%, .5% – that’s 1/2 of 1%.
That means 1 out of 200 kids do not yet have bussing. Or to look at it the other way, 198 out of 200 do.
Rabbi Kraviec, I don’t envy your job. It is not easy when one succeeds with the vast majority, who will mostly remain silent, and then have to deal with the frustration and fury of the relatively tiny minority whose needs were not yet met.
And I don’t either want to be a part of that small percentage!!
Chazak – stay strong! And continue your amazing work.
It is not 5%! 99.5 means that there’s a half of 1% left!
The stops are very dangerous for the little kids. Before we applaud the LSTA for getting most kids on buses we should worry that the safety of the kids was compromised in order to do that. And when you call the LSTA the attitude of the secretary there is too bad. The stress of getting my kids to the bus stop 4 blocks away at a busy intersection was overwhelming. I miss the days of board of Ed buses where my kids waited at the closest corner and I knew they were safe.
I agree with you a 100% I also got a very dangerous stop. When I called the lady who answered didn’t even care. For the past 8 years my kids have had the same bus stop why the change now.
I agree with you also when the BOE was incharge of the busing whenever I had a problem it was corrected within a few days. I was never told I had to wait 4 weeks for the change to be made.
The LSTA’s three objectives are cost savings to cover administrative costs, courtesy busing and easy routing acceptable to the bus companies. The safety of the children or parental convenience are not even a consideration.
As far as Aid-in-Lieu of transportation, the public school district provided the LSTA $884 (or a prorated amount for part year students) for every verified mandated student for last school year. There is no reason for parents with mandated students that did not receive transportation not to have received their $884 AIL payment.
In brooklyn when I grew up, if you choose public bussing you had to walk four blocks to the main street. Lenora buses never gave corner stops. There was an option for private bussing which some parents choose but they had to pay for the house stop option.. This is very normal for public bussing..
We all know when you grew up it was safer for a child to walk the streets in Brooklyn than it is now for a child to walk the streets in Lakewood. We’re talking about SAFETY FOR CHILDREN. The BOE made sure to take that into consideration.
Lakewood School Transportation Association. I think he is doing his best to improve from last year. We hope it will be much better.
The Rabbi that is in charge is amazing. He is really a caring individuall. We need to pray that all children be accepted to school before they start. Thanks
Why do lkwd busses not have a bus monitor on each route?
Money. Would you like to pay for it?
Last year the school submitted a change request for me, and until the last day of school it was “being processed” by the LSTA. it never happened. A five year old was being dropped off 3 blocks from home, turning different corners and crossing 2 streets.
I hope they will be more efficient this year. If they are overwhelmed by requests, they should prioritize and handle the safety issues first, before the convenience ones.
I am a parent and I walk my four children to their stop. Take some responsibility for the safety of your children and stop blaming everyone else for your “inconvenience.”
Its not an “inconvenience”. For some of us its impossible. You might have someone old enough to babysit younger children or you might not have anyone home that needs a babysitter. To take out a double stroller with a toddler and a baby in freezing weather trudging 4 blocks in the snow is not an option and neither is staying home with the little ones while my 6 year old trudges to the bus stop alone. So while it might work for your circumstances its more than an “inconvenience” for a lot of us. It also doesn’t work for those of us who walk 4 blocks to the boys bus stop and then we do not have enough time to walk back home and then back again for the girls bus stop 15 minutes later so we stand there with all the kids in the cold and wait for the girls bus. That means 10 minute walk, 10 minutes waiting for the boys bus, 15 minutes till the girls bus and then 10 minutes walk home in the cold, rain, sun…. with a few little ones. That should explain how this is not a mere “inconvenience”. There’s a reason the Board of Ed went to each corner. Not for their sake but for the sake of the safety of young children.
I think you should be more understanding before you criticize mothers who are being responsible for their children by questioning these consolidated bus stops.
Hi responsible mother,
This wasn’t to anyone specific, especially people with so many children. But when buses stop at every corner, holding up traffic, making us late for work, buses arriving late to school, children on the bus for over an hour because of the many stops, and the list goes on, then we will complain about that, won’t we? Let’s appreciate what we have. I hope LSTA can help you sooner.
Regards.
Stop blaming safe bus stops for you inconvenience of traffic and getting late to work.
This is not about complaining. I’m thinking of homeschooling my kids over this mess. I have a primary kid coming home around 330, a son coming home around 4, and a daughter at 420. Their stops area ten min walk from my house. Meaning I will be at the bus stop from 320-430 every day. Two years ago I had a stop in front of my house. This is craziness and the hardworking people of the LSTA are very nice but have no idea what is going on. I too am waiting for my AIL from last year.
The board of ed busses stop by almost every house on new hampshire from toms river border to RT 70. Causing traffic to back up new Hampshire quite a bit in to toms river. (during rush hour)
No one seems to care about that, only private school buses aren’t allowed multiple stops in 1 area
To se,
No one is complaining about that because it hasn’t happened yet. Just wait and see. Once again, be greatful for what you have. There will never be a time where everyone in Lakewood is happy. Say anything and everything and see if it helps any.
Notice how se pointed out the late for work part, but not the poor children getting to school late or being on the bus too long. What are we focusing on again?
1.never received any checks yet
2. Drove all my kids to school every day last year
3.refuse to accept a dangerous bus stop on central avenue with no traffic lights and no sidewalks on the route
Sorry, let’s face it. BOARD OF ED DID A GREAT JOB!
Dear LSTA,
Taking the job of coordinating the bussing is/was a tremendously challenging project. You are doing an AMAZING job!!!
Thank you and may you have lots of success!