Private Schools Fear Bus Rate Increase Proposal Includes Flat Fare For Private-School Students

Changing the way private school students are charged for using public school buses may spell the beginning of the end for some private schools in Idaho, one official warns.

The Idaho State Board of Education has proposed charging a flat rate for non-public school students using public buses. Each school district now handles the situation differently. In some southern Idaho districts non-public school students are not charged at all for using the public school bus.

In other districts, such as Joint District 241 based at Grangeville, students attending Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School are charged about 2 cents per mile.

The proposal would set a rate of $3.22 per child each day, beginning with the 1996-1997 school year.

The Rev. William Dohman of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish says the logic behind the proposal is “psychotic.”

“If they keep this in (the draft proposal) I’ve already had four families tell me they will be taking their kids out” of the church-sponsored school, Dohman said. “They simply can’t afford it.”

The state said the change is prompted by requirements that school districts deduct the cost of transporting non-public school students when submitting transportation reimbursement claims. A daily cost per student is calculated and it varies among districts.

In the Grangeville district, busing costs range from about $30 to a few hundred dollars per year.

Dohman gave the example of a family with four children living 17 miles outside of Grangeville. The family now pays about $430 per year for its children to ride the public school bus.

Under the state’s proposal, that charge will jump to $2,318.40.

Dohman said the effect on Sts. Peter and Paul could be substantial since 70 students are enrolled at the Catholic school. If even a few families take their children out because of the busing costs, that could mean a loss of 10 to 15 students.