State denies request to halt Ramapo Central bus changes

The state has denied a request by a group of private school parents to temporarily reverse a new transportation policy that went into effect last week in the Ramapo Central school district.

Believing the district hadn't explored all options before making a cut that affects hundreds of children, the parents asked for a stay on the changes until state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia rules on an appeal that they filed on the new busing plan.

On Friday afternoon, Elia decided against granting the request to parents, according to a state education department spokesman. The appeal is still being reviewed, he said.

RAMAPO CENTRAL: Parents want bus changes halted

RAMAPO CENTRAL: Bus cuts anger parents

The district now accommodates one arrival and one dismissal for each private school, which is how transportation is scheduled for the 4,800 children attending one of the district's seven public schools. Previously, the district offered staggered morning and afternoon routes to non-public schools, but looked to cut costs after seeing an increased number of students requesting busing in recent years.

Late Friday afternoon, Andrea Jaffe, one of nearly 100 parents involved with the appeal effort, said, "This development is not a setback. We are confident that once we have a chance to fully respond to the District's Appeal presentation, and place before the Commissioner the full impact of the unlawful discontinuation of mandated services to our community's students, she will grant our appeal and reject the false arguments they raised in their defense. We will now put all of our focus and energy into preparing that response."

Ramapo Central Deputy Superintendent Steven Walker said the district "is pleased" with the commissioner's decision.

"It has been and continues to be the position of the school district that our bus transportation services are fully consistent with the education law and regulations," Walker said. "We provide bus transportation services to resident students on an equal basis, no matter if they attend a public school, a private/non-sectarian school or a non-public school, regardless of its religious denomination."

Parents opposing the new transportation procedure have questioned the district's motives, with some saying they believe it is an attempt to force the Jewish community from an area that's experienced marked growth in the Orthodox and Jewish population over the last several years.

While there are a handful of Catholic and other private schools in New Jersey and Rockland County to which students are bused, the majority of non-public schools attended hundreds of local children are yeshivas in Spring Valley, Monsey and Suffern, according to information provided by the district.

For the 2016-17 school year, the district forecast 772 students requiring transportation to 105 non-public schools. Just three years ago, the district bused 490 non-public school students to 83 schools. The district does not yet have an estimate of how much it expects to save by trimming down the mandated service and continues to project an 8 percent increase in annual transportation costs — from $7.6 million to $8.2 million, which is about 6 percent of the $134.5 million budget for the current school year.

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