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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