To the editor:

When I read that dropping “1,800 students from the district’s free busing program,” and “limiting service to students living 2.5 miles or more from school would save the district an estimated $434,000 annually,” I got out my calculator. That comes to $241.11 per student. I fail to see how those savings would be realized.

Currently, my children ride the bus to school and live closer to school than the state-mandated 2.5 miles. They share their buses with students who live farther than 2.5 miles from school. Eliminating their ridership would not eliminate these bus routes or save the district any money. Going to a pay-to-ride system would only cause us and many others to drive to school, exacerbating the traffic, parking, and safety problems already present at most of the schools.

Many children have single parents or only one car in the family and depend on the buses to get to school. Some of their parents don’t have flexible hours to take them to school and pick them up. They also may not be able to afford a pay-to-ride system. With the definition of a neighborhood school including a 3-mile radius, walking to school is not always an option. These children have the right to a free public education.

The Lawrence School District has always prided itself on the fact that they meet or exceed the minimum standards in almost every area. I would ask that they also exceed the minimum standards in the area of busing and put the children first in this issue.

Gay L. Sauer,

Lawrence