Not busing may knot traffic
Milford school budget cuts will force more to drive
BY BARRETT J. BRUNSMAN AND CINDY KRANZ

MIAMI TWP. - Students in this Clermont County community likely won't be
the only ones inconvenienced Wednesday, when more than 4,500 kids will
have to get to and from school without a bus.

Police expect at least 2,000 more cars on local roads during rush hour
as students return from the winter break, which means traffic might
become snarled.

After the defeat of a tax levy on the Nov. 7 ballot, the Milford school
district decided to slash the number of bus routes from 90 to 54.
Districts aren't required by law to transport high school students, or
to K-8 students who live within 2 miles of school. By dropping bus
service to the state's minimum requirements, the district will reduce
expenses by more than $500,000.

All motorists - not just those dropping off or picking up students -
should allow at least 15 minutes extra in both the morning and
afternoon, said Miami Township Police Chief R. Steven Bailey.

"You've still got Mr. Smith and Mrs. Jones trying to go to their jobs,
and now we've added all this extra traffic to their commute," Bailey
said.

One spot likely to be a problem is Ohio 28 near Buckwheat Road, where
construction work isn't scheduled to end until October.

"It will be more congested," Bailey said, noting that Mulberry
Elementary School and St. Elizabeth Seton grade school both are on
Buckwheat.

Heavy traffic is also expected on Ohio 131 and Wolfpen-Pleasant Hill
Road, near Milford High School and the junior high. To help alleviate
the problem, the start time of Milford High has been moved up 15
minutes, to 7:35 a.m. Classes will start at 7:50 a.m. at the junior
high.

As a consequence of reduced bus routes, on roads near schools
throughout the township of 39,279 residents "there will probably be
some fender-benders and some rear-end crashes," Bailey said.

Trying to prevent traffic jams - and ensuring the safety of children
who will walk or bike to school instead of riding a bus - will cost
taxpayers at least $14,000.

The township will incur the expense because six of its 33 police
officers will be reassigned during the 22 weeks left in the school
year, said Bailey, who was also chief in 1996, when bus service was cut
in a similar manner after a school levy was voted down.

Three officers will work a two-hour shift each morning, and another
three will do the same each afternoon.

Keeping police cars running while officers direct traffic and
pedestrians will cost about $13,200. The engine must run to avoid
depleting the battery while the overhead lights, a mobile data computer
and radios are on, Bailey said.

About $500 has been spent on equipment to outfit volunteer crossing
guards. Purchased were reflective safety vests, glow-in-the-dark green
raincoats, hand-held stop signs with flashers on them, and ball caps.

"We're asking the PTAs to help us recruit some reliable parents to be
crossing guards," Bailey said.

Guards are needed at three spots for two hours in the morning and two
hours in the afternoon. Two of the crosswalks are on Wolfpen-Pleasant
Hill Road near Milford Junior High, and one is on Buckwheat Road near
Mulberry and Seton elementaries.

Even with volunteers, police will have to help, Bailey said.

"There are people on the roadway who do not obey directions very well -
and would have to be stopped and either appropriately admonished or
perhaps cited for their behavior," Bailey said. "That's something
beyond the capability of volunteers. People are more likely to pay
attention to police."

In addition to the six reassigned officers, two patrol officers in
cruisers will rotate among the schools to strictly enforce traffic
laws. Citations will be written for reckless driving, speeding and
failure to wear seat belts, Bailey said.

The school district already pays two off-duty officers who work
security at the high school and junior high. One on-duty officer will
help there. Two on-duty officers will be assigned to Seipelt
Elementary, and one each to Smith, McCormick and Mulberry elementaries.

The Police Department is seven officers below its authorized staff of
40. Reassignment might mean fewer officers available to patrol
neighborhoods and respond to emergency or routine calls.

Not helping out around the schools isn't an option, Bailey said.

"The No. 1 issue in this community - and we've been told this time and
again by our citizens - is traffic," Bailey said. "When something like
this happens that adds 2,000 or 3,000 cars to the roadway, it's going
to impact traffic."

Recognizing that, the district has taken some steps to alleviate
congestion. Besides changing the high school start time, some schools
will change traffic patterns to move cars through the parking lot to
avoid backups on the roads, said Valerie Miller, district spokeswoman.

Jeanette Pruitt of Milford has three children, one who walks to the
junior high, a kindergartner who took the bus to Seipelt Elementary and
a preschooler whom she drives. She'd take her 5-year-old to the bus
stop at 7:30 a.m. Then, she'd wake up her preschooler, get him ready
and take him to school at 8:45 a.m.

"We are changing our morning schedule so everybody is getting up and
being ready by 7:30 to drive to school to be there, hopefully, by
7:40," said Pruitt, a stay-at-home mom. "Because all of the parents who
are dropping off have to line up, I'm afraid of being too far behind in
the line.

"It's very inconvenient, not only for me. I'm staying home, so it's not
as terribly hard as it is for other people who have to work really hard
to make sure their days are covered for having their children
transported," Pruitt said. "Hopefully, this won't be the same next
year."

Even if voters approve an emergency operating levy on the Feb. 6
ballot, bus routes wouldn't be restored until the 2007-08 school year.
That's partly because the school district laid off 39 drivers.

"They've more than likely found other jobs elsewhere," Miller said. "We
have a hard enough time finding substitute drivers. It would take
awhile to get the buses rolling, and it would cost money."

It would cost $160,000 to bring the buses back this school year,
however much time it took to get them back on the roads, Miller said.
"That's why the board said we can't afford to pay that. We need to save
as much as we can."
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- gpsman