FOLSOM, Calif. — The Folsom Cordova Unified School District (FCUSD) last month eliminated 42 bus stops from its Folsom area citing economic factors, and parents are outraged.
Daren Prociw’s daughter will start at Folsom Middle School on Aug. 8. They live in Empire Ranch and their house is within a three-mile circle radius of the school, which means they will not receive bus service in the 2024-25 school year thanks to a June 20 school board decision.
“I’m 2.88 miles away,” Prociw said. “I’m just inside of their circled boundary.”
The circle boundary encompasses a radius of three miles for middle schools, according to Sean Martin, the district’s assistant superintendent of business services, during his presentation to the board in June.
Bus routes are also not available to high school students living within four miles of their school and TK-fifth graders living within three-fourths of a mile of their school, Martin said.
The eliminations cut out:
22 bus stops for Sutter Middle School students.
14 bus stops for Folsom Middle School students.
Five bus stops for Vista Del Lago High School students.
Two bus stops for Folsom High School students.
A complete list of eliminated stops and their addresses can be viewed HERE.
The following are exceptions to the distance radius, the district said:
Special education students who have required transportation services as part of their individual education plan (IEP).
Students who would be required to cross Highway 50, the American River, or the active Sacramento Regional Transit light rail from their home address to school.
“The decision to enforce our existing distance rules starting with the 2024-25 school year is based on staffing issues, long ride times for special education students and economic factors,” said Angela Griffin Ankhelyi, a FCUSD spokeswoman. “While many school districts in our area have cut transportation services due to budget constraints, the board is committed to continuing these services to the extent possible.”
Parents say hit the brakes
Prociw said he is concerned the district’s decision will create dangerous situations for children walking, biking or finding other ways of getting to school and hardships for families where parents work outside of the home.
He said he’s exploring carpool options and calling in favors with friends and family because he leaves for work around 6 a.m., and that doesn’t line up with the start of his daughter’s day.
“We can’t drop her off at 6:20 (a.m.) and have school start at 8:45 (a.m.),” he said.
Prociw said he would be open to the district creating a bus stop close enough to his residence that his daughter could walk to it.
He also reported to ABC10 there are other parents he’s spoken to in a similar situation. In response to parent criticisms, Griffin Ankhelyi released this statement on behalf of the FCUSD:
“The district is committed to frequent and transparent communication. The decision made in June was to allow families sufficient time to make alternative plans for transportation for the upcoming school year. While the district sent a targeted message to families affected in June, we were made aware that not all families received it. We have since re-sent the message to families impacted by this change and will be keeping our website up to date with transportation information.”
Bus routes and stops for 2024-2025 will be posted July 26 on the FCUSD transportation webpage, Griffin Ankhelyi said.
David Reid, a FCUSD board member, voted against adopting the new bus route plan in June, saying if the board makes the decision at a summer meeting, parents aren’t present to deliberate and provide public feedback.
“...A lot of parents aren’t even paying attention. They’re on vacation with their kids or just not thinking about school right now,” Reid said at the meeting. “This seems to be somewhat impactful to a number of families, and I just have a concern approving this type of change without receiving feedback from the community.”
The motion to eliminate bus routes passed 4-1. Reid was the sole dissenting vote.
WATCH ALSO:
