School Money Woes Threaten Safety Busing

The inauguration of safety busing this fall for elementary school children whose walking routes to and from school are considered hazardous looks dim teday because of the Ann Arbor School District's financial problems. Dr. Richard C. Creal, safety coördinator for the schools, told theboardlastnight611 rsquests for safety busing have already been received. The cost of busing that many children would be about $75,000. Creal also said the number of requests for busing might very well doublé once service was begun. The Safety Coördinator said no money has been budgeted for safety busing, and that a plan to finance the busing by saving funds through additional doublé and triple bus runs at the elementary schools no longer is feasible. More schools are already on doublé or triple runs than had been thought, he said. Last January, Creal recommended the safety busing, but no cost estimates were available at that time. The safety busing has been considered as an interim measure until proper walkways and paths are constructed. Most of the school area considered unsafe for children to walk are in Ann Arbor Township. Talks so far to persuade Ann Arbor Tüwnship to install such safety paths have been fruitless.