As promised, East Penn School District's Superintendent Thomas Seidenberger presented an exhaustive transportation study for the board's review Feb. 11.

The presentation presented two viable options for addressing the district's determination to withdraw busing privileges for Willow Lane Elementary School.

Option one would eliminate busing for all students living 1.5 miles from Willow Lane, affecting 330 students at least. With the reduction of one 48-passenger bus and five 72-passenger buses plus fuel costs, the savings to the district would be $111,761 in the first year. With the salary of two crossing guards figured in, the savings amounts to $102,206.

Option two would limit the range of walking to .75 of a mile, as per a request from a district parent at another board meeting. At the reduction of two 72-passenger buses and one 48-passenger bus plus fuel costs the savings would be $54,059. The cost of a 72-passenger bus is $183 per day; a 48-passenger is $143 per day. Under Option two, approximately 125 students would not receive busing.

Seidenberger's proposal is hopeful some new arrangements could be reached both with First Student and Willow Lane parents in order to more efficiently run the buses and even cut back a 48-passenger bus. The study reads, "There may be an opportunity to tighten the building of student assignments to specific buses that serve Willow Lane."

In addition, Seidenberger insisted "in all fairness," district students attending St. Ann School and Seven Generations would have to be offered busing in Option two as well. However, there would be no additional cost for these 41 students as they could be "absorbed into the present system."

The superintendent reminded everyone more than once how Pennsylvania does not offer reimbursement for transporting these students, and based on Governor Corbett's budget, East Penn will not be planning on a single cent from state aid in transportation toward next year's budget.

The board made no action on Seidenberger's report, despite a motion on the agenda from Julian Stolz to direct the administration to continue busing for all Willow Lane students currently receiving transportation for the 2013-2014 school year.

Vice President Alan Earnshaw argued it was not the board's place to give "specific strictures" or "to carve out pieces of the budget" for the administration merely to make recommendations.

According to Stolz, his motion was crafted to direct the administration to continue busing "for what's best in the interest of all Willow Lane students."

Francee Fuller called it "premature to have this motion on the table," and expressed a wish to see it tabled until a future meeting. Board President Charles Ballard agreed, saying an attempt to direct administration was "unwise."

"I find it personally offensive that a person declaring to be conservatively principled could throw those same principles under the bus," Ballard said before suggesting Stolz raised the motion in an attempt to "pander" in order to obtain votes for the coming election. Stolz countered he was "not one to rush for change."

Moments before, Stolz had pushed again for the formation of a parental committee to discuss the implementation of safety improvements currently under planning. Earlier in the meeting, Susan Coenin demanded the same; a meeting of all parents in the Willow Lane community to discuss logistics like drop-off and pick-up along with other safety concerns.

A district supervisor said, on average between December and January, 134 cars drive through Willow Lane every day. Of all the district's schools, Willow Lane has one of the highest percentages of transported students at 92.2 percent taking the bus. Only three of the remaining six schools ranked higher. However, transportation data showed, at best, bus participation from students at Willow Lane was 69.3 percent (excluding day care buses) at lowest, 50 percent.

Along with urging the board to consider implementing new safety measures such as signage and flashing signals as soon as possible, Seidenberger noted seven recommendations in his report. They included transporting St. Ann School and Seven Generations students as qualified, redrawing hazardous roads and boundaries with First Student and publicizing the data, developing more efficient bus routes and assigning multiple variables of students to buses to reduce the number of bus routes necessary.

High school students will also be involved. Students with a parking pass could waive their bus assignment but still gain a seat on the bus with written notification.

Seidenberger also de- scribed the district's budget goals for the coming year: To develop an educationally sound and fiscally prudent budget; to maintain fiscal flexibility and the ability to adapt to government budget; to improve overall efficiency of the school district; to be able to adjust the internal demands of funded and unfunded mandates [from the state]; and to maintain all existing programs.

Among the district's technology goals the superintendent reported to be "very excited" about is the development of a mobile app allowing (particularly new) parents to find out whether their child will receive busing based on their location in the district.