CC/E board to address busing issue

Transportation policy once again took center stage Nov. 22 during the Clay Central/Everly school board's regular meeting.

For the second time in six months, board members were approached about granting a variance to the district's transportation policy. Trevor and Courtney Engeltjes and Bill Follon, parents of elementary-age students in the northern part of the CC/E district, open-enroll their children to Okoboji. An Okoboji bus had been picking them up and dropping them off at their rural residences, but that is not allowed.

The arrangement has since been halted and the families have to take their children to an intersection inside Okoboji's boundaries so they can ride the bus to school. The trio asked the board to approve documents allowing the pickups to continue as they had been, but members were hesitant.

"It was your choice to open enroll. You need to supply transportation," said Board Member Allyn Heikens. "It would open up a can of worms where a district could come in and pilfer what they wanted."

CC/E's transportation policy is somewhat convoluted due to its unique situation. Since the district does not offer grades 7-12, buses from Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, Spencer and Sioux Central are allowed to travel inside CC/E's boundaries to pick up students in those grades. However, since the district does offer grades PK-6, no buses from neighboring districts are allowed to come into the district to transport students out of it.

No transportation agreement exists with Okoboji for students in any grades, according to discussion. The board did not agree to grant a variance and instead opted to table the issue for further discussion during a workshop planned tonight (Dec. 2) at 5 p.m. in the Maverick Room.

"We need to be consistent with our message," said Heikens.

A previous busing issue brought before the board in May was more difficult for members to decide.

A Rossie parent with an elementary-age daughter approached the board requesting a transportation variance. The child, along with her older siblings, is open enrolled to Sioux Central in Sioux Rapids. Since CC/E offers grades PK-6, she is not allowed to be picked up by Sioux Central's buses in Rossie, but her elder siblings are because CC/E does not offer grades 7-12.

The parent, a recent widower, explained he had limited support to take his daughter to school when his older children cannot drive her during inclement weather or when they need to attend extracurricular activities. He asked board members if they would allow an exemption for Sioux Central's bus to transport her to and from Sioux Rapids.

Board members voted 4-1 to follow the district's PK-6 busing policy. Member Denny Dalen cast the lone dissention.