SOMSD busing question

I'm in the process of enrolling my son.  I'm still trying to get the paperwork done, and have a question about busing that I'm just curious if anyone here has any experience with.

The school that is two blocks from our house is full for my son's grade, so he will in most probability attend another school.  On the district's website they state that if a student is assigned to a school other than their zoned school to receive a service or program, and the assigned school is more than one mile away, then they will provide busing. Is this only the case for students receiving special services or programs? Or would he be eligible for busing because attending our zoned school is no longer our choice? Basically, we're two blocks from a school, but if my son gets sent halfway across town, will I end up having to drop him off and pick him up every day?

Also, if he attends Seth Boyden, do they include busing for those students?  

And yes, I understand that the final answer will come from the school district, I'm just curious about anyone's experience so I have a better idea of what to expect.

spontaneous said:

I'm in the process of enrolling my son.  I'm still trying to get the paperwork done, and have a question about busing that I'm just curious if anyone here has any experience with.

The school that is two blocks from our house is full for my son's grade, so he will in most probability attend another school.  On the district's website they state that if a student is assigned to a school other than their zoned school to receive a service or program, and the assigned school is more than one mile away, then they will provide busing. Is this only the case for students receiving special services or programs? Or would he be eligible for busing because attending our zoned school is no longer our choice? Basically, we're two blocks from a school, but if my son gets sent halfway across town, will I end up having to drop him off and pick him up every day?

Also, if he attends Seth Boyden, do they include busing for those students?  

And yes, I understand that the final answer will come from the school district, I'm just curious about anyone's experience so I have a better idea of what to expect.

If a student lives more than one mile from Seth Boyden and is not in the SB zone, then busing is provided unless something has changed very recently.  I don't know if that is the case for other schools where a student might be assigned if their zoned school is full.  (I would assume and hope so.)

Yes, SB still does busing for those over a mile away. Make sure you submit the bus request as soon as your kid is enrolled in SB. You have to bring it to the little transportation office on Parker Ave down by the Chyzowych field entrance. (25 W. Parker ave).

I don't know if they will bus to another elementary school that is a mile away in cases where the zoned school was full. As you probably already checked: It doesn't seem to indicate that case on the transportation form. 

Link to the schools that are full, and registration and transportation forms:

https://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/Do...

State law requires that the district provide transportation for public school students in K-8 who live more than 2 miles from their assigned school. Districts can provide transportation for students living less than two miles at their discretion.

Just for the record, the distance requirement for grades 9-12 is beyond 2.5 miles.

Spont: You may already know this, but you can try to return to your zoned school for 1st grade as the class size limits increase a bit for 1st grade (If you were closed out in Kindergarten).

shoshannah said:

State law requires that the district provide transportation for public school students in K-8 who live more than 2 miles from their assigned school. Districts can provide transportation for students living less than two miles at their discretion.

Just for the record, the distance requirement for grades 9-12 is beyond 2.5 miles.

The only elementary school in the system that we are more than two miles away from is the Annex up in Newstead, every other school is less than two miles. I want busing because our local school, two blocks from our house, is full up and they will be sending my son to another school.  I'm okay with him attending a different school, but not with having to drive him every day.  I don't want to have to pack the other kids in the car twice a day, every day, and sit in one of those hell drop off lines I keep hearing about.

sprout said:

Spont: You may already know this, but you can try to return to your zoned school for 1st grade as the class size limits increase a bit for 1st grade (If you were closed out in Kindergarten).

He is transferring in and will be attending 2nd grade, not entering first grade.

A bit off thread, but I met a mom at my kid's daycare who's 5 year old is starting kindergarten in Maplewood this fall. She said the classes are so full, she still doesn't know which school her child will be placed in. She believed that the influx of families into SOMA was stretching the class sizes, while shrinking available slots for new enrollees. Is this what's happening? 

The demographer predicted the school system would soon be bursting at the seams, and that we will need more classrooms.

I'm worried about what happens down the road when my other kids enter the system.  A friend of mine ended up with two kids in two different elementary schools.  She was told that they no longer give priority to families who already have a child in the school, it is now first come, first served.  She isn't sure how she'll be able to deal with dropping off two kids at two different schools and then picking up two kids at two schools, every single day.  

What does first come first serve entail? Alphabetically by last name? A lottery? Camping outside the registration office on a beach chair overnight? Crazy. 

spontaneous said:

I'm worried about what happens down the road when my other kids enter the system.  A friend of mine ended up with two kids in two different elementary schools.  She was told that they no longer give priority to families who already have a child in the school, it is now first come, first served.  She isn't sure how she'll be able to deal with dropping off two kids at two different schools and then picking up two kids at two schools, every single day.  

Millburn is opening a new elementary school this September for this very reason. Looks like SOMA might have to go in that direction too.

Actually a 5th grade only school that will move the 5th grade out of the elementary schools.

Gilgul said:

Actually a 5th grade only school that will move the 5th grade out of the elementary schools.

Indeed.

I thought if you applied in the early time window, you got your zoned school.  Its only if you applied after the first cutoff period that you were placed based on availability.

ElizMcCord said:

What does first come first serve entail? Alphabetically by last name? A lottery? Camping outside the registration office on a beach chair overnight? Crazy. 

spontaneous said:

I'm worried about what happens down the road when my other kids enter the system.  A friend of mine ended up with two kids in two different elementary schools.  She was told that they no longer give priority to families who already have a child in the school, it is now first come, first served.  She isn't sure how she'll be able to deal with dropping off two kids at two different schools and then picking up two kids at two schools, every single day.  

When is the cutoff period?  My friend registered her child in April, and apparently missed it. 

In my case, I acknowledge that I'm registering late, so I'm not pissed at my son not being able to go to the school that we can see from my front steps, that's on me.  I'm just worried about having to drive him to school and back every day and hope that busing is an option.

If it is not an option (I honestly don't know if it is), would car pooling be a possible alternative?

spontaneous said:

When is the cutoff period? 

The registration website for the district is not very helpful (more like very confusing) for those registering for Kindergarten:  https://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/Pa...

It appears that registration forms are available Feb 3rd, and the website states that Open registration starts May 3rd, but here's what is really confusing:

If you download the Kindergarten registration info flyer (which strangely is secretly linked to the "Registration Information" title of the page, and does not appear to be provided in the links lower down -and is not included in the registration packets) this flyer indicates 

"Early Kindergarten registration will end Thursday, March 23, 2017.

Those not registered by Thursday, March 23, 2017, must wait until Monday, May 1, 2017 to register for kindergarten."

https://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/cm...

Elementary students in the district can get a bus if they are 1 mile or more fom the school.

sseverin said:

Elementary students in the district can get a bus if they are 1 mile or more fom the school.

I've heard this from a few people, it is just that their website makes this less than clear.  The wording makes it seem as though busing for 1 miles students is only available if the student is attending the school for a specific program.

sprout said:

spontaneous said:

When is the cutoff period? 

The registration website for the district is not very helpful (more like very confusing) for those registering for Kindergarten:  https://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/Pa...

It appears that registration forms are available Feb 3rd, and the website states that Open registration starts May 3rd, but here's what is really confusing:

If you download the Kindergarten registration info flyer (which strangely is secretly linked to the "Registration Information" title of the page, and does not appear to be provided in the links lower down -and is not included in the registration packets) this flyer indicates 

"Early Kindergarten registration will end Thursday, March 23, 2017.

Those not registered by Thursday, March 23, 2017, must wait until Monday, May 1, 2017 to register for kindergarten."

https://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/cm...

I believe my friend registered her child in April, which according to the website would have been early, but according to the info flyer would have been late.

My youngest will be 5 in 2020, maybe I shouldn't take any chances and register him for kindergarten now just in case   

Is it free? Or at a courtesy rate? 

sseverin said:

Elementary students in the district can get a bus if they are 1 mile or more fom the school.

It's free. From the website: 

https://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/Do...https://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/Domain/35

"Students are generally assigned to attend a school near their home and are not eligible for transportation. The district may assign a student to attend a school outside of his or her home area for a specific reason, such as the pairing of Jefferson and Marshall or to receive a service or program offered only at another school. If the district makes the assignment and the school attended is more than one mile from the student's home, the student is eligible for transportation as long as he or she continues to receive the service or remains in the program. "

In your case, the district is making the assignment due to over population; therefore, you are entitled to the bus if it's over 1 mile. You would NOT be entitled if YOU requested that your child be sent to a different school. 

I realize that there is an exception to my statement above... if YOU request that your child attend Seth Boyden, then you are entitled to the bus if you live over a mile away. However, if the school assigns your child to Seth Boyden because Tuscan is full and you request that the child be sent to Marshall instead, then the school will not provide transportation to Marshall. 

sseverin said:

Elementary students in the district can get a bus if they are 1 mile or more fom the school.

In SOMSD?  If so, that's a recent policy.  In the past it was the state guideline (2 miles for elementary, 2.5 for secondary) except for students assigned by the district to a school other than their zoned school, which was 1 mile ... that generally applied to the SB opt-in, Marshall-Jeff pairing and a few other situations.  I'm not sure if it applies to students assigned to another school due to their zoned school being full, but it should in my opinion.

I believe that Millburn offers 1-mile courtesy busing to all students or all elementary students.

Milburn charges now for courtesy non mandated busing. 

Gilgul said:

Milburn charges now for courtesy non mandated busing. 

They've charged for awhile.  A friend of mine had to pay for his daughter to take a bus to school since it was only 1.9 miles away.  The kicker was there was a closer school, but they had rezoned and the neighborhood was no longer part of the closer school.

He was a single father who received no child support even though he had sole custody (ex was unfit), and even had to pay alimony, so paying for busing on top of that did sting.  

spontaneous said:

Gilgul said:

Milburn charges now for courtesy non mandated busing. 

They've charged for awhile.  A friend of mine had to pay for his daughter to take a bus to school since it was only 1.9 miles away.  The kicker was there was a closer school, but they had rezoned and the neighborhood was no longer part of the closer school.

He was a single father who received no child support even though he had sole custody (ex was unfit), and even had to pay alimony, so paying for busing on top of that did sting.  

I know which neighborhood you're talking about. They rezoned that neighborhood in 1985.

They also rezoned about 6 years ago and some kids wound up in Hartshorn as a result even though it was not the closest school. 

I understand rezoning based on overcrowding.  I don't understand sending a child to a school that is further away, yet not covering the cost of transportation even though the parents didn't have a choice in sending their child to the further school.

spontaneous said:

I understand rezoning based on overcrowding.  I don't understand sending a child to a school that is further away, yet not covering the cost of transportation even though the parents didn't have a choice in sending their child to the further school.

At the time that neighborhood was rezoned, in 1985, up until about 2011 -- the time when Millburn eliminated courtesy busing -- children in the Washington neighborhood got free busing to Wyoming School. Ever since it was switched to subscription busing the district has offered subsidies for families that cannot afford the subscription busing.

shoshannah said:

spontaneous said:

I understand rezoning based on overcrowding.  I don't understand sending a child to a school that is further away, yet not covering the cost of transportation even though the parents didn't have a choice in sending their child to the further school.

At the time that neighborhood was rezoned, in 1985, up until about 2011 -- the time when Millburn eliminated courtesy busing -- children in the Washington neighborhood got free busing to Wyoming School. Ever since it was switched to subscription busing the district has offered subsidies for families that cannot afford the subscription busing.

Where is the Washington neighborhood?