School bus drivers vital link to home, school – Daily Republic

By Mayrene Bates

Just in case some of us may have forgotten, Tuesday was California School Bus Driver’s Day. I am a huge cheerleader for school bus drivers and each year try to make it a top priority to ride, at least, one of the routes – usually out of town.

I always return enthused, as I get to meet a new driver or renew an acquaintance with a driver who I’ve ridden with before like Eliane Medina. I also get to meet the children, of course, as well as greet parents who meet the bus to see their children off to school.

This School Bus Driver’s Day I was excited about taking the bus at 7 a.m. from the Solano County Office of Education’s transportation yard on Clay Bank Road and head out to schools in Fairfield and Green Valley with driver Medina. By the time we returned to the yard, it was time to join everyone for a mouth-watering barbecue to honor theses special heroes of the road.

Source: School bus drivers vital link to home, school

State announces traffic changes to Green Valley Road overcrossing – Daily Republic

By Ian Thompson

Construction of the Green Valley Road overcrossing above Interstate 80 is nearing completion and the state Department of Transportation announced several changes to traffic patterns to allow construction crews to continue work.

Northbound traffic on the Green Valley Road overcrossing above westbound and eastbound I-80 will be routed starting Friday onto the new overcrossing. Southbound traffic will continue to use the existing lanes on the existing overcrossing.

The temporary configuration will allow crews to continue work on new approach lanes and prepare for demolition of the old overcrossing. This configuration will be in place for about six weeks until the new overcrossing is opened northbound and southbound.

Source: State announces traffic changes to Green Valley Road overcrossing

Letter: Thanks to VUSD transportation for your help – The Reporter

Open letter to Jodie Peters, transportation supervisor, Vacaville Unified School District:

My name is Robert Pflueger, my son Robert Pflueger II, a kindergartener at Cooper Elementary school is part of the School Choice program making the choice to attend Cooper instead of Padan.

I am writing you today in regards to the situation that my family has been going through this year and our ability to choose the best public school for our children. I found out that Padan Elementary was a school that enabled me as a parent to make the choice of where my child attended public school, and was even more pleased to learn that Cooper was one of the choices available to me.

Source: Letter: Thanks to VUSD transportation for your help

Fairfield train station, Peabody Road work on track, city says – Daily Republic

By Ryan McCarthy

Rain isn’t slowing progress on the Fairfield-Vacaville Train Station, the city says of the largest public works project in its history.

The station and Peabody Road overpass work are on track and on time, with Peabody Road expected to reopen in August by the start of the 2016-17 school year, the city said in a statement posted Thursday on Fairfield’s website.

Public Works Director George Hicks said in an interview that Capitol Corridor train officials want to make sure the train station has parking to meet growing ridership on the Capitol Corridor.

via Fairfield train station, Peabody Road work on track, city says.

Poster contest asks Solano children to ‘think outside the car’ – Daily Republic

By Daily Republic Staff

Children who attend elementary and middle schools in Solano County are being asked to “think outside the car” and design a poster to encourage their classmates to walk, bike or ride a scooter to school instead of getting to school by car.

The poster contest is sponsored by the Solano Safe Routes to School program and is open to children from transitional kindergarten through eighth grade within the county.

via Poster contest asks Solano children to ‘think outside the car’.

Safe Routes to School ‘Think Outside the Car’ poster entries now accepted – The Reporter

Solano County elementary and middle school students are being asked to “think outside the car” and design a poster to encourage their classmates to walk, bike or ride a scooter to school instead of getting to school by car. The poster should show proper use of traffic safety laws, such as wearing a bike helmet, crossing the street in a crosswalk, or riding a bike with the flow of traffic.

The poster contest is sponsored by the Solano Safe Routes to School program and is open to Solano County students from transitional kindergarten to 8th grade. The First Place winner will receive a bike and bike helmet and the Runner Up winner will receive a $100 gift certificate.

Prizes will be awarded in each of the following grade categories: TK-2nd, 3rd-5th and 6th-8th.

via Safe Routes to School ‘Think Outside the Car’ poster entries now accepted.

Details of budgets await Fairfield-Suisun district leaders tonight – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

Priorities and considerations for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 budgets, a contract to build a cost-savings solar panel parking structure and buy the generated power, and Gov. Jerry Brown’s latest budget proposal are on the agenda when Fairfield-Suisun Unified board members meet tonight.

Among this year’s budget priorities are a 3.25 percent pay raise for all employee groups, except teachers; restoration of athletics transportation; adding science classrooms at the Fairfield Public Safety Academy; adding counseling and psychology services, and bilingual and communication outreach.

Already included in the district’s multiyear financial projections are nearly $400,000 in release time for teachers; nearly the same amount to hire a principal and support staff for the new Dover Academy for International Studies; nearly $250,000 to pay for a principal and support staff at Mary Bird Early Education Center; and nearly $200,000 to hire a new assistant principal and registrar at the Safety Academy.

via Details of budgets await Fairfield-Suisun district leaders tonight.

Solano Safe Routes to School program gets $3M boost – Daily Republic

By Kevin W. Green

The Solano Safe Routes to School program has been awarded a $3 million grant by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission under the 2015 regional allocation of the Active Transportation Program.

Solano Transportation Authority’s Safe Route to School program, known as SR2S, will receive funding for infrastructure improvements at seven schools in Benicia and Vallejo, while providing education and outreach to 26 schools throughout Benicia, Rio Vista and Vallejo, according to a Solano Transportation Authority press release.

via Solano Safe Routes to School program gets $3M boost.

Annual Walk to School Day a success in Vacaville – The Reporter

By Ryan Chalk

Walk, run or roll, hundreds of children across Vacaville participated in an international movement Wednesday aimed at getting more kids out of cars and on their feet each day.

International Walk to School Day is as much about promoting healthy activities for kids as it is about making everyday routes to school safer for children and adults. At least eight Vacaville elementary schools participated this year.

via Annual Walk to School Day a success in Vacaville.

Fairfield-Suisun schools mark Walk to School Day – Daily Republic

By Ryan McCarthy

Kevin McNamara first heard about International Walk to School Day three years ago when listening to Vacaville-based radio station KUIC.

The P.E. teacher at Green Valley Middle School in Fairfield started the event for students at Green Valley days after hearing the broadcast – and hasn’t stopped.

“Since then I’ve done it every year,” McNamara said.

He stood Wednesday in the gym at the school and spoke about how students walking to school can provide the freedom and independence that youths in middle school seek.

via Fairfield-Suisun schools mark Walk to School Day.

Dozens of Solano schools to take part in International Walk to School Day – Daily Republic

By Kevin W. Green

The Solano Safe Routes to School program is encouraging parents and children to “think outside the car” and join with thousands of students in walking to school on International Walk to School Day on Wednesday.

The international event began in England in 1994 as a way to urge students to get out of cars and on their feet, according to a Solano Transportation Authority press release.

Now, it’s observed in 40 nations with millions of participants who support walkable communities.

via Dozens of Solano schools to take part in International Walk to School Day.

Science teacher hiring, staffing and transportation updates on TUSD agenda – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

Hiring a science teacher with a provisional permit, district staffing update and a transportation update are up for discussion by Travis Unified leaders.

Tonight during the district meeting, Chris Hulett, director of human resources, will tell the five-member board that Vanden High has an opening for a physics and chemistry teacher, even after a “diligent” search, he said in agenda documents.

After exhausting all possibilities of finding a fully credentialed teacher for the job, he will recommend that Chad Miller be hired with a provisional intern permit. In California, such permits are available only at the request of an employer.

Hulett also will update trustees on staffing levels for the 2015-16 academic year, including information about new employees across the 5,000-student district.

via Science teacher hiring, staffing and transportation updates on TUSD agenda.

Road woes mark 1st day of school for Travis district – Daily Republic

By Susan Hiland

Few things really can be considered priceless for the school year, but having children take the bus to school in the Travis School District just might be worth every penny.

“We are adjusting to the closure of Peabody Road,” Bill Sarty, principal of Vanden High School, said Wednesday at the start of the school year. “The school has changed the schedule with a later start time and early leave time.”

Most notably for the parents is a push to have them bus children to school rather than use the current route, to get them to school on time.

“The company doing the work on the road, built us a loop for the bus to use,” Sarty said. “So it bypasses the problem area.”

via Road woes mark 1st day of school for Travis district.

TUSD leaders to students: Get on the bus – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

With the new school year to begin Wednesday, the message from Travis Unified leaders to most families and students is simple and direct: Get on the bus.

Because a section of Peabody Road and nearby areas are under construction and will be closed for another year — a section near Vanden High, Travis Education Center and Golden West Middle School — start and end times for those three sites will be changed, noted Superintendent Kate Wren Gavlak.

On weekdays, only school district buses and emergency vehicles will be allowed past a controlled bypass road around the main construction area near the future home of the Fairfield/Vacaville Train Station and Peabody overpass, a $35 million project.

The access road will allow students to get to school and home more quickly and more safely, she said.

via TUSD leaders to students: Get on the bus.

Ticket Involving a School Bus Could Cost You $695 | Dixon, CA Patch

By Bea Karnes

School started in many California communities last week, while kids in other districts are enjoying their last few days of freedom.

Back-to-school comes with an important reminder from local police departments–drivers need to be extra careful around children and school buses.

And if you need added incentive to be cautious, there’s this–a ticket involving a school bus could set you back $695 or more.

Here’s a refresher on California Vehicle Code 22454(a):

  • Motorists must always stop when they are traveling behind a bus with flashing red lights. When vehicles are approaching a stopped bus with flashing lights from the opposite direction, drivers must stop if they are on a two lane roadway.

via Ticket Involving a School Bus Could Cost You $695 | Dixon, CA Patch.

Rejection of charter bus services bid, tech update on school board agenda – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

Rejection of a single bid for charter bus services, a presentation about academic progress of English language learners during the 2014-15 year, and a technology update are up for discussion by the Fairfield-Suisun Unified leaders.

District staff members tonight will tell the seven-member governing board that only one bid was received for charter bus services. The purchasing department determined there was not enough competitive response and, therefore, will reject the bid, with the intention of re-opening the bidding process.

The assistant superintendent of educational services, Rona Portalupi, will note that the district “made significant growth,” according to agenda documents, on the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) during the 2014-15 year. Some 56 percent of English learners met state criteria that year compared to 50 percent in the previous year.

via Rejection of charter bus services bid, tech update on school board agenda.

Schools Charging Parents for Kids Bus Transportation – Education News

By Kristin DeCarr

A number of school districts in at least five states are looking to increase their cash flow by asking parents to pay for their children to take the bus to school, a move that officials hope will offset some of the budget deficits they face. The service was previously paid for by taxpayers.

A recent report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that state funding for education has been dropping for the last 7 years. At least 30 states were found to have offered less per-student funding than was given before the recession. Of those states, 14 cut that funding by at least 10%, if not more. Across the nation, state funding accounts for around 45% of revenue for school districts, with local government contributions accounting for about the same.

“It’s a trend that started back in ‘08 when the recession hit,” said Dan Domenech, executive director of AASA, The School Superintendents Association. “School districts’ budgets were cut back severely. As an alternative to cutting a lot of programs, districts went the route of charging fees for sports events, uniforms, after-school activities—and eventually transportation.”

Many parents are angered by the decision to ask them to pay for bus transportation, and school officials report concerns over children’s safety and access to education.

via Schools Charging Parents for Kids Bus Transportation.

Peabody Road closure starts Friday – Daily Republic

By Ian Thompson

Peabody Road between Cement Hill Road and Huntington Drive is closing Friday for the next 14 months and the Fairfield Police Department is reminding motorists to plan ahead and allow for extra time if you have to drive through the area.

The roadway is being closed to allow for the construction of the Fairfield/Vacaville Train Station and the Peabody Road Overcrossing Project.

via Peabody Road closure starts Friday.

Air Force base, city, school district prepare for Peabody Road closure – Daily Republic

By Ian Thompson

Fairfield, Travis School District and Travis Air Force Base officials have geared up for the 14-month-long closure of Peabody Road that starts June 12 with detour routes, an expanded school busing program and open-for-business signage for affected businesses.

Peabody Road between Vanden Road and Huntington Drive is being closed for approximately 14 months during the construction of the Fairfield/Vacaville Train Station and Peabody Road Overcrossing Project.

There are no plans at the moment to change gate times at Travis Air Force Base because of the closure, according to the base’s Public Affairs Office. The base is publicizing a detour route that runs west from Peabody Road along Cement Hill Road and then turns south along Clay Bank Road to Air Base Parkway. There is also the route to the base’s North Gate via Canon Road.

via Air Force base, city, school district prepare for Peabody Road closure.

Fairfield may contribute $375,000 to Travis USD for Peabody Road closure – Daily Republic

By Ryan McCarthy

The city will contribute $375,000 to offer all Travis School District students a reduced-fee bus pass as well as provide additional school buses and routes during construction of the Fairfield Train Station and improvements to Peabody Road in a proposal the City Council takes up Tuesday.

Peabody Road will be closed June 12 until August 2016 from Vanden and Cement Hill roads to Huntington and Whitney drives. Peabody Road is one of the main corridors to transporting students, a city staff report notes.

Fairfield will contribute $125,000 for student bus passes and $250,000 to assist Travis School District with costs of additional buses and routes for the Peabody Road closure.

via Fairfield may contribute $375,000 to Travis School District for Peabody Road closure.