The Nanaimo school district is on course to review its student transportation policy.
According to the district, the provincial government no longer provides funding for student transportation and the district is no longer mandated to provide transportation services. As the district is in the middle of a two-year process to become financially sustainable, Graham Roberts, district secretary-treasurer, presented a transportation report to the business committee at its March 9 meeting
“The old policy …referred to ministry policy,” he said. “That ministry policy doesn’t exist anymore, so it’s the board’s discretion what transportation service we provide and that results in a board policy discussion.”
The process will see staff reviewing procedures and ridership numbers as work on the 2016-17 school budget takes place. The school district will also hold a public consultation session on April 12 in order to receive feedback, which in turn will provide information for the policy.
The new policy will be formed and any bus routes that could be potentially affected would be identified. The board would vote on the policy by the end of June and new routes would be developed in the fall, said Roberts.
Any changes would come into effect in September 2017, he said.
Public consultation is scheduled for April 12 at 7 p.m. at John Barsby Secondary School.
reporter@nanaimobulletin.com