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Photograph by George Sakkestad
Adrian Bedard was the first student on the bus that would take him to his new adventure in kindergarten, but being first on the bus does give one lots of time for second thoughts.
The first week of busing produced few problems
By Jason Baker
The start of classes for parents of Saratoga Elementary School students arrived with an added element of fear this fall. Rather than simply dropping their children off at the door or walking them to class, parents for the first time are experiencing the feelings of sending their babes into the belly of the school bus. Other than for field trips, most of the Saratoga youngsters had never ridden the bus. But after this fall, hopping the bus to school every day will be old hat.
Saratoga parents waved goodbye in the early light of Aug. 30 as their precious ones made their way to Strawberry Park Elementary School in San Jose, the temporary home away from home of Saratoga Elementary students and teachers during construction at the Saratoga school campus. Many children smiled and waved back, while a few simply settled into their seats for the big ride.
Mary Gardner, superintendent of the SUSD, said that all in all the first week of busing went very well. "We've had to make a few minor adjustments. We've have more kids than we had expected," she said.
The district had secured 160 available spots on two buses, leased to the district by the Moreland School District. But with more children signed up for service than could be safely accommodated by two buses, district officials opted to add an additional bus to the route. Moreland may be able to provide an additional bus, or the district may consider using a charter company.
As with almost every public facility in Saratoga, parking presented a bit of a headache at Redwood Middle School, Gardner said. Because there are major construction sites around the school, officials opted to move Redwood sixth-graders to Strawberry Park as well this semester. Saratoga elementary students meet at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Allendale near West Valley College at specified times, while Redwood students meet at the Redwood campus.
"We will be working out better markings at Redwood so parents don't block the bus route," Gardner said.
Photograph by George Sakkestad
Karlina Ott waves goodbye to her son, Adrian Bedard, as he heads off on his kindergarten adventure.
Bus scheduling also presented some problems for Redwood students during the first two days of the program. The buses deliver Saratoga students to Strawberry Park before picking up the 180 riders from Redwood. But Redwood principal Christopher Farmer said the buses were behind schedule for the first two days, causing students to arrive at school about 15 minutes late. By Sept. 2, though, the lag time had been reduced to five minutes, Farmer said. He attributed some of the delay to road construction on the bus route, construction that has slowed all travel in Saratoga for the past few weeks.
"I believe a good school should start on time, so there obviously has been some dismay," Farmer said. District officials, he said, were made aware of the problem and were working to address it. "I think things are improving," he said.
Despite the delays, Farmer described the sixth-graders' behavior as exceptional. "We have an excellent class of students, and they have been behaving very well indeed," he said.
But the first week of any new program always seems to be the honeymoon period. Gardner said that, should any behavior problems surface, the Moreland bus drivers are more than prepared to address them.
"Right now, we haven't received any complaints," Gardner said. "The children seem to really like taking the bus. They have been very well behaved. But we've been assured the bus drivers are trained to handle students who misbehave. The drivers will simply stop the bus if the children choose not follow the rules."
Gardner also said the district would continue to search for bus monitors, whom the district will pay to supervise bus trips.
The SUSD board of trustees approved the moving of Saratoga Elementary students at the recommendation of Gardner and administrators. Strawberry Park provides a safer and quieter environment for students, administrators said.
Workers in June began initial renovations of Redwood and Saratoga schools. Renovation and construction will continue through the fall and should be completed by next summer, barring any major setbacks.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
