Parents in the Poway Unified School District have to dig deeper into their pockets if they want to keep school buses on the road next school year.
Poway Unified has been charging parents for regular school bus transportation for the past 20 years.
School officials say that's because the state department of education doesn't fully fund school busing
Poway charged families about $430 a year. That's now going up to about $570 a year.
Tim Purvis is director of transportation for the Poway Unified School District. He says Poway parents still have to agree to pay the fee increase. He says all busing will be cut if not enough families sign-up.
“ We need to see their level of support and commitment by an August 2nd (deadline),” Purvis said. “If they commit to us and we have at least 85 percent of our current ridership … then we can continue the service.”
The district is facing a $24 million deficit. The Oceanside, Coronado and Romona school districts are among other San Diego County districts that also charge for transportation.
