West Valley approves first school bus service

By KRISTI ALBERTSON/Daily Inter Lake

Starting next fall, most students at West Valley School will be able to ride the bus to school.

At a special meeting on Monday, the board of trustees approved adding a bus system. It will be the first time in the elementary school's history that buses are available.

About 50 community members attended the meeting, Superintendent Todd Fiske said, to voice their support for or concerns about the proposed plan.

"There was good input," he said, "whether they were for it or against it."

Cost was one of the primary concerns. In order to pay for a bus system, the school board had to vote for a permissive levy - a nonvoted levy that will affect property taxes within the district.

The board approved the levy and awarded the transportation bid to Treasure State Transit, which submitted a bid of $869.50 a day. At that price, a home with a taxable market value of $200,000 will have a $77.52 annual property-tax increase.

That figure ultimately might be a little lower, Fiske said. Trustees approved four bus routes instead of the original five that Treasure State bid on, but there is flexibility to add another route if necessary.

"We might still need five, with the way the growth is going," Fiske said. "It's going to be really hard for us to have any set number until we see how it's going to go."

Treasure State's five-route bid covered busing all students in the district. Instead, the company will focus on four routes to accommodate the students who live more than three miles from the school. About 60 percent of the school's 400 students live beyond the three-mile radius.

Students who live less than three miles away may ride the bus if there is room.

"We'll fill a bus until it's full," Fiske said.

According to state law, districts must provide transportation for students who live beyond the three-mile radius. Through the end of this school year, West Valley has met state requirements by reimbursing parents who drive their children to school. Starting in the fall, the district no longer will pay mileage.

Unlike other districts, West Valley riders who live within the three-mile limit won't be charged for taking the bus. Trustees thought it wouldn't be fair to charge those families extra when they were already paying increased taxes, Fiske said.

"Most people felt like that would be a double tax," he said.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinter-lake.com