Peterman buses sit in a lot at Glen Este High School on June 14. High school students can now pay for transportation to the West Clermont high schools from designated elementary schools.

Peterman buses sit in a lot at Glen Este High School on June 14. High school students can now pay for transportation to the West Clermont high schools from designated elementary schools.
By Kelly Doran
Editor

High school students in the West Clermont Local School district will have the option to sign up for a program with Peterman, after complaints from parents about not being able to get their kids to school.

Beginning in the fall, parents will have the option of paying for a shuttle service to Amelia High School and Glen Este High School from an elementary school. The contract will be with Peterman, not with the school district.

Transportation to the high schools was eliminated beginning in the 2011-2012 school year because of financial troubles in the district. The district also cut back busing to the rest of the schools in the district to outside a two mile range from the school the child was attending, said Debbie Alberico, communications consultant.

The cuts allowed the district to save a lot of money. When the district got some money from the state last year, busing for all students from kindergarten to eighth grade was brought back, regardless of the student’s home, Alberico said.

“That’s a lot more kids we’re providing services for than we were before,” Alberico said.

It costs $1 million to bus the 3,800 students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade, but costs $2.3 million to bus 1,500 high school students, because state law requires the district to bus students that live in the district to private schools if they attend them, Alberico said.

State law also does not allow the district to charge students for transportation, Alberico said, so the district was looking for an outside service for high school students.

“It’s all about trying to provide services as best we can staying within the mandates of the state of Ohio,” Alberico said.

Services with Peterman will cost $925 for the year or $105 per month, according to the registration form, which can be found on the district’s website along with more information. Contact the Peterman Transportation Service Center at 513-752-4020.