School board approves new bus route

GENTRY -- The Gentry School Board Monday unanimously approved the creation of a new bus route to pick up students living along Arkansas Highway 12.

The reasoning for the new bus route would be to alleviate the tight schedule of the bus which travels a country route to the eastern edge of the district and then back on the highway and provide more safety for students picked up along the highway.

According to Jason Barrett, transportation director for the district, the bus which covers country roads in the Highfill area has not arrived at the primary school until 7:50 a.m., just 10 minutes before students are to be in their seats ready for class to begin. The late arrival doesn't allow enough time for students to get breakfast, he said. Barrett said the bus route begins at 6:05 a.m. and he did not want to make it earlier.

Another concern, Barrett said, is picking up students along the highway and having students cross the highway to board or exit the bus. He showed video of motorists driving past stopped buses with red lights flashing and the stop sign extended and said there were numerous violations already this year.

By establishing a new route to pick up students on Highway 12, Barrett said the country bus could come directly to the schools when the last student is picked up rather than doing pickups along the highway, making it possible for the bus to arrive at the schools earlier. The highway bus could travel the length of the highway and back, picking up students on the door-side of the bus and removing the need for students to cross the highway.

Estimated cost for the new route, including payment for a driver, fuel and bus maintenance, according to Barrett, would be between $23,000 and $24,000 per year.

Barrett said the new route would have about 75 potential riders. He said 994 students were signed up for bus transportation this year and could potentially depend on buses for transportation to and from school on any given day.

In other business, the board approved extending a contract to Lana Riley, special education teacher at the high school who has been working for the district since the start of classes in August.

The board also accepted the bids of Colcord (Okla.) Public Schools to purchase three substitute buses being retired from Gentry's fleet. Colcord schools bid $2,505 for Bus No. 3; $2,195 for Bus No. 4; and $2,050 for Bus No. 18. Other bidders for Bus #18 included the Gentry Fire Department and Mosaic Community Fellowship.

Randy Barrett, district superintendent, told the board that he had appealed the state decision to deny the district's application for partnership funding to build a new high school and would be attending a hearing on the appeal today.