Struggling Lakewood families just got hit with credit card fees charging them $260 for courtesy busing per kid. The LSTA (Lakewood Student Transportation Authority) has raised the price of courtesy busing by $80 from $180 to $260 per student for non mandated private school students for this coming year. The increase is due to rising costs of fuel and labor. At the same time The Lakewood Township Committee pays a few million to thr BOE for the courtesy busing of the public school non mandated students (paid for by Lakewood taxpayer money.)
While the Township Committee is not obligated to pay for courtesy busing at all, but once they do so for non mandated public public school students, it would be discriminatory that they don't do the same for all private school students in Lakewood, mostly those who go to yeshivas.
When asked about this seeming discrimination township officials have yet to give a coherent explanation. There's been talk of class action lawsuit but nothing has been done.
Another glaring omission from the LSTA and school officials that could potentially offer free busing is the NJ Law according to NJ Law if you are eligible for the lunch program you can not be excluded from receiving transportation, The LSTA, BOE have not advertised or offered this to local students local advocates and askanim have thus far not publicized this. If you can not afford it, the school district can not deny you transportation you should apply regardless and have tell the LSTA to pick up your children for more info send email to the state DOE: student.trans@doe.nj.gov or call (609) 376-9064 see more HERE
Perfidy!
ReplyDeleteThe Township gave 5 million dollars funding to the BOE public schools from the tax payers part will go to transportation costs including courtesy bussing hard earned money paid for by tax payers while at the same time the township is not giving back a penny to cover courtesy costs for private schools
ReplyDeletehttps://lnnnews.com/lakewood-municipality-to-transfer-5-million-to-boe-for-rising-transportation-costs/
The school attorney can squeeze money from the township who just keep raising taxes on the rest of us while they voted higher salaries for themselves and gave tax abatements to the rich and powerful and the poor Lakewood taxpayers keep footing the bill while the big guys are getting 6 digit salaries laughing all the way to the bank.
ReplyDeleteThis is beyond sick
It is your fault for allowing the piece of garbage represent the school district.
DeleteI believe this free lunch idea is incorrect. The LSTA is not a Board of Education. They are a distinct new entity created by the legislature specifically for Lakewood. While they may be a contractor for the BOE to provide mandated busing to private school students , the courtesy part of their busing is not thru the BOE but based on a special law ,giving the LSTA the legal right to do that. So the law that a BOE can not charge poor parents if the BOE provided courtesy busing probably does not apply . I doubt you would win this in a court of law .
ReplyDeleteI don’t know what your motivation is, but you are wrong. That law expired. Now it’s the BOE that provides transportation through its contract with LSTA. And even if you were right, there’s no reason to assume that the LSTA is not subject to the same regulations as regular boards of Ed
Deletethis commenter keeps writing the same false information. lsta is no longer connected to any legislation at all. it is a private company hired by the boe. all parts of it are now through the boe and have nothing to do with any special laws. i don't know if you would win in a court of law or not but you are repeating misinformation.
DeleteIf that's the case than the LSTA should be SHUT DOWN ASAP.
DeleteWe are putting the safety of 40,000 children in the hands of a private entity that has no oversight or any responsibility from Trenton?
This private entity with no regulation is in control of millions of dollars taken from the tax payers of NJ and they don't have to Answer up to anyone?
Is this a banana republic running lakewood school transportation?
This matter should be brought immediately to Trenton officials.
Stop playing the game that tour not connected to any government.
The responsibility is directly with the BOE and the Lakewood Township government.
There's no 2 sets of rules obsolvibg the LSTA of whatever they feel like.
I don't believe you are correct. Without legislation ,there is no way the LSTA could get the full 1000 per mandated student when the bid ftom Jay's comes in at 700. Only legislation allows them to get that extra money and use the leftover towards the non mandated . Please check your facts . The BOE cannot pay more than the bid amount and can not use any leftover money fir non mandated. Only the legislation allows them to give the LSTA the full 1000 and use the overage fir non mandated courtesy busing. .
ReplyDeleteno offense but repeating the same wrong information does not make it true. every district in new jersey gets the same amount of funding for every non-public school kid. it has nothing to do with bids.
Deletethe legislation expired at the end of the 3 year trial period and is completely null and void. it has no bearing on how lsta is run today.
I don't believe that every district gets the full 1000 per student to spend as they wish on non eligible students , even if the bids come in lower . That does not sound correct. If that was the case ,you would see other districts doing the same for non mandated. The legislation may have technically expired after 3 years ,but I believe it is being kept alive by the Governor's office through some executive orders magic . It's very simple to find out . Ask the NJ dep of Education if any district automatically gets the full aid in lieu amount per student ,even if bids for the run come in much lower. It's not a secret. They will tell you . Maybe you are right.go find out.
DeleteIf you are right I stand corrected. But its hard to believe as there are other districts that would love to use excess funds to give courtesy busing . Why doesn't any other district do it ?
ReplyDeleteEvery parent has the option to opt out of LSTA fees and drive their own child the 1-2 miles to their school. If more non-mandated parents would opt out, there would be more busses and drivers available for the families who live further out, many of whom are now faced with the choice of either making the trek themselves spending hours a day in traffic, or shelling out more than the aid in lieu amount for private transportation.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nj.com/education/2023/05/nj-school-district-may-restore-bus-service-for-3000-students-but-parents-will-have-to-pay.html%3foutputType=amp
ReplyDelete