HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-10-03-STAS-min Ad Hoc School Transportation and Safety Study Committee
October 3, 2013 at 9am
Conference Room, Central Administration Blg
Meeting Minutes
1 Attending Elaine Celi,Judy Crocker, Sharon Kendall,Jessie Steigerwald, Craig
Weeks
Guests Bonnie Brown, Meredith Canavan
2 Meeting minutes for September 12 were accepted.
3 School Bus Registration Update
Lexington school buses have experienced its highest registration for the start of the
school year since 2006. Ridership is currently at 2847 riders on 25 buses covering
61 routes The automated registration process and instituting a late fee for not
registering during the designated period has been effective in parents registering
on time and has resulted in limited student waitlists.
School bus invoices have been sent out.About$67,000 is owed the district.Very
few parents returned their bus passes this fall and will receive refunds. New to the
current Transfinder school bus software is a redistricting package.
4 School Committee ISO Traffic Mitigation Study
a) Sept 24 School Committee meeting Unfortunately,time was considerably cut
short for the School Committee's Traffic Mitigation discussion and the majority of
Ms. Dunn's presentation could not be shown. It was suggested that at future
meetings,this Committee sit more toward the front of the meeting room for
improved visibility
b) October PTA Presidents Council Ms. Dunn presented to the PTA Presidents
Council and the group continues to find parent support for the bus. Having been
given the revised WorldTech Evaluation and Recommendations for School Traffic
Report, the group indicated their approval that emergency vehicles and mass
transit be the only vehicles allowed to have school front door access
c) Next steps for the proposed Traffic Policy
o Oct 8 SC The draft Traffic Policy needs as many stakeholders as possible to
supply feedback. The document represents a cultural shift in the district's
approach to student transportation and safety and therefore needs to
involve all aspects of possible interest groups.A unified practical and
theoretical basis will also produce a system better able to respond to traffic
flow needs The policy needs to be accepted by the School Committee prior
to Town Meeting in order to be able to request for infrastructure and safety
funding. School Committee refers the proposal to its policy subcommittee
o Oct 22 SC At the annual Town Meeting, a capital request for$100,000 over
3 years will be instrumental for site reviews and plot plan development for
items such as roadway repair, parking and delivery truck issues, and the
proposed Clarke bus loop The sum represents roughly$10,000 per 10
School Committee managed properties. The most urgent need includes
Bridge, LHS, Clarke, and Diamond.
o Principal concepts and website and handbook updates need to be achieved
in the fall as well as
o Nov 5 SC Two additional operating budget requests will also be made at
Town meeting.
I Dept of Public Facilities - request for pavement painting, signage,
and GIS mapping master plan funding and maintenance.
II Personnel- request for student transportation supervision,
monitoring traffic, and other tasks identified by principals as
needed.
o Ian - March. The proposed operating budget and Town Meeting article
submission be approved near Jan 7 Annual Town Meeting is in March.
o July 1 Approved Town Meeting budget monies are available It will take up
to 3-5 years to complete proposed improvements at all schools
o Committee comments included supporting school principals with the PTA,
defining the scope of responsibility on the school grounds of each school as
well as in generalities, and reaching out to PTA's as hosting the topic at their
parent meetings in order to have parents consider the policy from the
parent not personal perspective
5 New Business
Meredith Canavan is a SPED parent who lives on the arterial road of Lowell St. She
addressed the Committee to express her frustration with the chronic flow of illegal
vehicles passing her student's SPED van. She has contacted the police and RMV but
wishes to know what more she or authorities can do to prevent this dangerous
behavior
The question of whether the rear of SPED vans has "Do Not Pass When Lights are
Flashing"was raised.Also, most SPED vans are not equipped with a stop arm. The
LABB transportation contract will soon be up for bid and these requirements can
be added. No idling can also be requested to be included as part of driver training
as is the current practice for C&W Transportation.
Ms. Dunn distributed copies of a Student Bus Safety Tips brochure published by the
MA Safety Officers League. Some of its information could be useful in forming our
own safety literature The mid-October Minuteman STS article focus was on the
illegal passing of school bus topic in order to provide further information about the
topics covered on the fall tax bill insert produced by this Committee. These
materials also overlapped with School Bus Safety Week(Oct 21-25)
Our next meeting will be November 7 in the Conference Room at Central
Administration.
Respectfully submitted,
Judy Crocker