Suffern Central will finally permit a number of private schools that were successful during the open bid process to provide their own busing transportation. The open bid solution was made possible, in large part, due to New York State Senator Bill Weber’s ongoing efforts to resolve the longtime stalemate between the school district and private schools. The new agreement resolves transportation issues private students have faced since 2016 when a change in the busing policies had a major impact on the transportation services for the District’s private school students.
“Resolving the burden for hardworking, tax-paying parents has been a major priority since I entered office,” Senator Weber said. “I am grateful to have made a real difference in the resolution of many busing challenges in Suffern Central. Working with the coalition we assembled in January of 2023, we met numerous times over the last year and a half to deal with this critical issue.
Fortunately, our advocacy efforts achieved a favorable outcome for many families just in time for the new school year. Our efforts will continue until all families are satisfied with their busing needs.”
“I couldn’t be more pleased with the collaborative effort we were able to achieve in bringing everyone into the room from the district leadership, state and local elected officials, Agudath Israel, the Community Outreach Center, and Rockland POET,” Senator Weber continued. “I also want to thank the Superintendent of Schools for the Suffern Central School District, Dr. Erik Gundersen, for all of his hard work and his board, whose open-mindedness towards the ideas we put forward was pivotal in reconciling the busing situation.”
“I sincerely thank Senator Bill Weber for his distinctive effort and perseverance toward addressing the student transportation issue in Suffern Central School District,” Director of Agudath Israel’s Rockland regional office, Rabbi Shragi Greenbaum, said. “Thanks to Senator Weber’s intervention, together with the collaborative efforts of Dr. Gunderson, the community united to find a solution to our transportation challenges. Senator Weber’s dedication and perseverance not only paid off for students and their families but is appreciated and valued by the entire community.”
“We appreciate Dr. Gundersen and the Board working with us on a creative solution to afford private school students with busing that meets their needs,” Andrea Jaffe of Rockland POET said. “By partnering with several schools that have their own buses in this pilot program, over 400 children will be able to get to school at their proper bell time while traveling the shortest route possible, along with their own schoolmates.
We look forward to additional measures to alleviate this challenge. We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the support from Senator Bill Weber, a driving force in facilitating the dialogue between the District and the private school community.”
The new agreement will provide busing for 462 of the District’s private school students starting September 1st and comes at no additional cost to the District.
“Surrounding Districts are facing similar challenges,” Senator Weber concluded. “I am well aware of them and plan to resolve their situations as well. As always, my goal is to make sure every child has a seat on the school bus!”