Not One Bus, Not Two Buses, But Three Buses!

For the first day of school at the new Marshall Middle School (MMS), the school district is providing three buses for the pilot parent-paid bus program. Unlike any other bus service, the three buses are making two round trips each morning and afternoon so twice as many students are served--384 total, which is 26% of the 1,440 student population. Reduction in traffic impacts to Pomerado Road and all feeder streets is one of the primary goals of the program.

Traffic is expected to be extremely challenging, so please avoid using Pomerado Road if you can from 6:50 to 8 am the first week of September. If you drive on alternative streets, closely monitor your speed and be courteous. For parents who are driving to the new campus, please do not unload passengers on Willow Creek Road, Aviary Drive, Avenue of Nations, or Pomerado Road. While it may seem easier for you, doing so increases traffic delays and safety risks! The most efficient way to drop off your child is to drive onto the campus and use the three different parking areas.

Make no mistake about it, traffic patterns throughout Scripps Ranch will fundamentally change on Tuesday, Sept. 4. Impacts will be seen on many streets as 1,440 students ascend on the new middle school. The three local buses will help reduce the impacts, and a huge thank you is owed to a great number of people!

The first "thank you" goes to the parents who believed in the program and who are paying the district's $550 annual costs in advance. Parents should be commended on their patience and cooperation as the bus program was developed, revised, and now implemented.

A second "thank you" goes to true community volunteer leaders who have spent many hours putting together this unique, unprecedented pilot bus program. Denise Hampton led the SRCA Schools Committee's Transportation Subcommittee She boldly ventured into her volunteering effort and enabled the committee members to come up with "doable solutions" to district concerns, community interests, and parent issues. The committee members also deserve a huge "thank you": Bob Ilko, Lorayne Burley, Lynn Todd, Gordon Boerner, Oren Patashnik, Rick Novak, Tom Liberto, Patricia Perry, Shana Smith, and Bob Dingeman.

A third "thank you" goes to Councilmember Brian Maienschein, Board Trustee Katherine Nakamura, Chelsea Smith, Jose Betancourt, Martin Stech, Alexandra Robinson, Sherry Baile, Christine Millay, and First Student Bus Company. All these folks worked hard to find a way for students to get to school as safely as possible. The district should be commended for undertaking the responsibility to manage the program: insurance, day-to-day operations, accounting, contracting, and supervision.

A fourth "thank you" goes to the Scripps Ranch Civic Association, the Scripps Ranch Schools Committee, and the MMS Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA). The SRCA has underwritten costs for such things as advertising, mailings, flyers, web pages, and signs to enable this program to successfully reach the 384 subscribing families. Gloria Tran, co-chair of the Schools Committee, should be thanked for her leadership throughout the process.

As school opens, as traffic changes, so will the bus program. The future of the pilot program rests with the district and the community. It will take as many as two or three months for new traffic patterns to emerge. Solutions to new problems will need to be found. There are capable people in our community who have passion, dedication, creativity, and a sense of purpose who are willing to help. Are you one of them? Please email us at [help@mmsbusprogram.com]. We look forward to hearing from you. For details on the bus program, please visit [www.marshallmiddle.org].