By Shawn Hogendorf, Correspondent 

The Prior Lake-Savage Area School Board unanimously approved an increase in walking distances Monday night (May 5) for students living within a certain radius from their schools.

Walking distances to and from school will increase from a half mile to a mile for elementary students (grades K-5), while walking distances for secondary students (grades 6-12) will increase from 1 mile to 1½ miles.

Students who live near high-traffic, hazardous areas will still be bused to school.

The transportation committee, made up of board members and others who work for the district transportation department, discussed what makes up hazardous and high-traffic areas, said Rob Cooper, transportation coordinator.

Hazardous or high-traffic areas were defined as areas where students had to cross a major highway or intersections without traffic lights Cooper said.

The budget-reduction measure will save the district an estimated $45,000 next year and will affect 129 students in the district, said Margo Nash, director of business affairs.

Of the 129 students previously eligible for bus transportation within the increased walking distances, 21 students are at the high school, nine are at Twin Oaks Middle School, four attend Hidden Oaks Middle School, 35 go to Jeffers Pond Elementary, 59 attend Five Hawks Elementary and one student attends Grainwood Elementary. No students who attend WestWood or Glendale elementary schools will be affected by the increase in walking distances, Nash said.

State law requires school districts to transport students who live more than 2 miles from school. The district’s plan fits under these restrictions, Nash said.

Many districts have previously made similar increases in walking distances due to budget reductions, Nash said.

The board reviewed public feedback prior to approving the increase in walking distances. The majority of the community was not in favor of the increased walking distances due to safety issues, she said.

“The number one concern of people in the community was the safety of children,” Nash said. “That is a concern we also feel strongly about.”

Some other concerns raised by community members and reviewed by the board were:

§       difficulty for parents who can’t drive their children to school;

§       concerns over gas prices and increased costs to parents;

§       driving students to school would create conflicts in work schedules;

§       an increase in traffic congestion in the parking lots of Jeffers Pond and Five Hawks elementary schools;

§       and creating a strain on day care providers who fall in the proposed walking areas and have no way to drive the students to school.

The board also received positive feedback from some community members who said the walking distances are part of a reasonable plan, considering the fiscal dilemma facing the district. Some said they would rather see the transportation cut than class sizes increase.

Board Member Eric Pratt brought up a question of having crossing guards placed at busy intersections.

Crossing guards are not in the plan and aren’t needed because students in hazardous areas will still be transported, Nash said.

The biggest change comes for kindergartners, said Board Member Diane Ziemann. “It’s a huge concern,” she said.

Annette Nicholas of Prior Lake was the only person from the community to speak at the meeting. She said she is “saddened and frustrated to know her children will walk to school.”

Nicholas has lived in Prior Lake for 15 years and has now signed her children up for open enrollment in other districts because of the increased walking distances. “I have issues with the safety,” she said.

“It’s one thing to be responsible for our own children,” Nicholas said. “But there are day care providers in my neighborhood who didn’t know children would have to walk down Duluth Street to school. I don’t think the people making these decisions are thinking of our kids.”

Superintendent Tom Westerhaus rebutted Nicholas’ comment, stating that all board members and administrators working for the district have an interest in children’s needs.

“Everyone on this board cares,” Westerhaus said. “This sadness is misdirected.”

Westerhaus added that 60 percent of voters in the district said “no” to the referendum. “I don’t want these kids to walk, but don’t put the blame in this direction,” Westerhaus said.

The board has spread the cuts to other areas, such as band and not opening Redtail Ridge, among other things, he said.

This is the third year of budget reductions and the first year the board has voted to increase walking distances.

“We’ve tried our best to keep cuts away from kids,” Pratt added. “This is a tough decision that will have an impact.”

 A proposal for Prior Lake High School students to opt out of riding the bus to school will come to the board for a vote on May 19.

High school students will be asked to fill out a form asking if students ride the bus to school. The proposal includes a $25 parking-pass credit for high school students who fill out the form and decline transportation needs.

The proposal would help the district and transportation contractors identify which students aren’t being transported and help plan bus routes in the future, Nash said.

 Shawn Hogendorf can be reached at shogendorf@swpub.com.