Smithtown vote reverses busing referendum

Smithtown school district residents Monday voted to restore busing to more than 1,500 students.

Reversing a May referendum that extended transportation limits, residents voted 4,629 to 1,114 to return to the busing policy that had been in effect last year.

Many of the several dozen residents gathered last night at school district headquarters cheered as the vote was announced.

"The people have spoken, and they spoke for the children," parent Tom McCormick of St. James said. "I'm very happy the people of the community were able to distinguish safety and community versus dollars and cents."

It was the second time in five months that Smithtown school district voters cast ballots on the mileage guidelines that decide which students get bused to school.

Many parents felt blindsided in May, when district residents voted to make changes that caused more than 1,500 students -- about 14 percent of the district's student body -- to lose their busing privileges.

The district will restore the previous busing guidelines by Oct. 11.

The May referendum, which passed 3,915-3,055, did away with the district's old policy, which provided busing to all but 700 of its 11,467 students.

The old policy had allowed busing for every one of the district's elementary school students.

The new rules, which took effect at the beginning of the school year two weeks ago, stripped busing from elementary students who live less than a half-mile from school; extended -- to 11/2 miles from 1 mile -- the distance that middle school and high school students must live from school to get bused, and reduced -- to 15 miles from 20 miles -- the maximum distance that private school students must live from school to receive district busing.

The changes were expected to save the district more than $800,000.

The district added Suffolk County crossing guards and changed campus traffic patterns to deal with more students walking or being dropped off at school.

But scores of parents protested, saying many of the district's roads are unsafe for children to walk on.

Many residents also claimed that the May referendum was poorly worded and caused voters to mistakenly vote to reduce busing.

Parochial school parents launched a petition drive after the May vote to put the issue back on the ballot.

The school board agreed in July to hold a new vote.

Parents of public school students organized a get-out-the-vote campaign to try to ensure passage of Monday's referendum.