Dear Parents, Re: Before and After School Bussing of Students As you may have heard, The Board of Education of School District #43 (Coquitlam) will be ending the busing of students to and from school effective at the end of the current school year. Transportation for special needs students will continue. Board Trustees and District Management staff thank all parents, staff and community members for their involvement in the budget process for the 2014-2015 school year. The Board considered many options made available through public input in its efforts to reduce costs and minimize disruption within the classroom. The Board values all feedback and considered it carefully in reviewing budget recommendations and final decisions. The School District is committed to maintaining a sustainable organization which is built on our past successes. Our ability to continue to support the before and after school transportation of students has been impacted by static provincial funding levels that have not maintained pace with inflation. This was not an easy decision but one that was necessary given our fiscal restraints and legal requirement under the School Act to develop and submit a balanced budget to the Ministry of Education. The Board’s decision to reduce these services to students was a very difficult decision to make. The Board made the decision to remove regular bus route services in order to minimize the disruption to services in the classroom. Parents whose children currently use School District bus transportation will be required to seek out alternate ways for their children to arrive to and arrive home from school. This may include; walking, biking, being driven, or taking public transportation. The communities that make up our School District enjoy public transportation services. Information on Translink routes, schedules and rates can be found at: http://www.translink.ca. We are in communication with and have alerted municipal and Translink staff to this change for next year. The School District continues to have an exceptional education community. The Board would like to thank everyone who has worked so hard to make our District outstanding and sustainable for years to come.