JACKSON – Even though the municipal government doesn’t handle school issues, bussing again became an issue at the latest Township Council meeting.
State law dictates that districts must either provide transportation to kids living in town to private schools, or pay the household $1,000 aid in lieu of providing transportation.
During the public comment period, resident Sheldon Hofstein asked the governing body if they had followed up on a prior recommendation he made to ask the State if they would pick up the cost of bussing for students who attend schools outside the township.
That issue has become problematic throughout the state and has been a subject brought up during recent Board of Education and Council meetings in Jackson.
“We have not but we do pay attention to what goes on in Trenton,” Council President Martin Flemming responded. “There has been some movement in how the funding formula is done and that is what we are waiting for.”
“So, you are not going to move ahead until you hear something from Trenton. Was there any thought about establishing school zones to keep bussing limited to one or two areas?” Hofstein asked.
Flemming responded that such a move would be part of the township’s master plan “and that is done every several years. It gets redone completely every 10 years.”
Hofstein asked, “so there is no anticipation of changing it?”
“Not until we redo the master plan, no.” Flemming answered.
Grant Writer Hired
Township officials hired a grant writer and approved a shared services agreement with the Township Municipal Utilities Authority during a recent council meeting.
Council members appointed Colliers Engineering and Design to write grants for Jackson during the meeting.
Council Vice President Andrew Kern said the grant writer’s job will be “to get state funding and other public funding that is out there already.”
The MUA agreement will be for certain sanitary sewer improvements to be constructed as part of the township’s storm sewer replacement and paving project on Susan Drive.
