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Buses Still On Parents' Mind At Town Hall Meeting

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 23, 2008

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - Transportation once again dominated the discussion at the sixth of seven town hall meetings Superintendent MaryEllen Elia is holding across Hillsborough County.

Parents shared stories at the meeting tonight about late buses, buses that never showed and stops that had changed or vanished.

The school district has heard complaints from parents since before classes started last month, and Elia has been bringing transportation workers with her to the town hall meetings so they can look up concerns about specific bus stops or routes on the spot.

"There is no question we had a very rough opening for transportation," Elia told the crowd of 80 at Pierce Middle School. "It fell short this year. There is no excuse."

The district is overhauling its transportation department to make it more efficient and has reduced stops and changed routes. Clogged phone lines and confusing communications with district officials worsened the problem.

"There's no question this has been a stress for parents," Elia said.

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