Ledyard moves to pickup hub for magnet, vocational students

Ledyard — The school district will move to a single pickup hub for students who attend schools out of district this year, citing budgetary constraints.

The pickup hub will be located at the Gales Ferry School, 1858 Route 12. Most students will be dropped off there in the afternoon, although depending on which magnet or technical school they attend, some students will be dropped off at Ledyard Middle School at 1860 Route 12.

The Policy Committee of the school board had been discussing transportation since this spring, and made the decision earlier this summer, Board of Education Chairman Anthony Favry said.

State law doesn’t require school districts to provide transportation to magnet schools, but those that do receive some reimbursement from the state. Transportation to vocational and technical schools is required by state law, and must be provided by the school district the child resides in.

Last year, Superintendent Jason Hartling said, the school district eliminated one of its buses and had some scheduling difficulties that affected students attending schools in town.

“We have less equipment in order to save money, and we really struggled to meet our in-district demands,” Hartling said.

Transportation was the second largest increase singled out in the superintendent’s budget presentation back in January, representing a $193,366 increase in a budget that rose only $385,596 overall. Tuition for Ledyard students attending

magnet schools outside of the district was the largest projected increase, at $227,305.

The district until now has had a cluster-style pickup schedule for students attending schools outside of Ledyard, with routes to Gallup Hill, Bill Library and Juliet W. Long School and pickups along the way.

The “vast majority of towns do a single pickup location” for those students, according to Hartling, and Ledyard is unique because it sends students to technical high schools in two different directions: Ella T. Grasso Technical High School in Groton and Norwich Technical High School.

Favry said the school board has kept budgetary constraints in mind when preparing the school spending plan during the spring, and remains concerned with the “cloud of uncertainty” over the state budget. The town stands to lose nearly $6 million in state education funding under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s executive order.

The hub-style transportation policy was approved at a meeting in June and parents were notified afterward in a letter by Business Manager Jason Lathrop. Earlier this month, Hartling convened a meeting with parents of students who attend schools outside the district to explain the changes and answer questions.

Parent Christie Pelkey Burns, whose son will attend the Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School in New London in the fall, created a Facebook group “Ledyard Out Of District Families” to coordinate the families and discuss the changes.

She said that while some have been frustrated with the new policy, she hopes her group will help the parents get to know one another and potentially help arrange shared rides for students to the various magnet and technical schools.

“I’ve made a few connections personally, which I think will be helpful as the year goes on,” she said.