Busing will continue for Battleford students

Parents in the town of Battleford won’t have to figure out new transportation options next year, after a new busing agreement has been cemented between the province and the school division.

Living Sky School Division has announced the Ministry of Education has rescinded its prior decision related to Battleford specifically and will now be extending busing to the town again.

Since the town of Battleford has a population of close to 5,000 people, and is also located near North Battleford, the ministry will now consider the town an urban centre and provide funding for busing. Beginning in the 2017-18 school year, the town of Battleford students who reside more than one kilometre from the school will be eligible for in-town busing.

The school division confirmed it received news from the province the ministry would support busing in the town of Battleford, for those students who were living outside the one kilometre radius of the school.

The school division previously announced in May the division wouldn’t be receiving funding for towns with a population of less than 5,000. For the 2017-18 school year there wouldn’t be any more in-town busing in the communities of Kerrobert, Unity, Wilkie, Spiritwood and Battleford, although busing would continue in Battleford for families residing east of Highway 4 and west of Highway 4. Urban busing would still be provided within the city of North Battleford to students living more than one kilometre from the school (an increase from the prior distance of 0.75 kilometre). 

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The school division is pleased the town of Battleford will see a reprieve with the latest news.

“That’s a late change for us,” said Living Sky director of education Randy Fox. “We appreciate the fact that transportation costs will be recognized there.”

He said the school division’s transportation department staff are in the process of getting all the details worked out with families who would be affected by the new decision.

“If the ministry hadn’t have come back and said they were going to fund that, then there wouldn’t have been in-town transportation in Battleford,” added Fox.

Parents received a letter last week from the school division informing them of the positive turn of events.

“I think it’s good,” said Fox. “We’re happy for the folks in Battleford. It doesn’t mean all our students in Battleford will get bused, but it does at least help those who are living outside that kilometre range.”  

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW