Earlier this year, the Schalmont Central School District proposed a public referendum to establish walk distances that would have left students living within a half mile of Jefferson Elementary, within 2 miles of Schalmont Middle School and 3 miles of Schalmont High School without school bus service. Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara joined Schalmont Central School District officials today to announce an additional $25,000 in state funding that he secured for the School District to ensure school bus transportation service would remain in place for all students in the upcoming school year.

“When it comes to our children, safety comes first,” said Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara. “School bus transportation is critically important to the safety of our children, especially during the winter months in rural areas like ours,” Santabarbara added. “As a parent of two children, I know how important it is to have peace of mind when our children are on their way to school,” Santabarbara said. “When I heard from families with students in danger of losing their school bus transportation, I immediately began working to find the funding to make sure that would not happen. Kids should be focused on learning, not wondering how they are going to get to school each day.”

"We are grateful for the hard work Assemblyman Santabarbara and his staff have put in to secure Schalmont CSD the additional funding needed to keep our current transportation plan in place for the 2017-18 school year," said Schalmont Superintendent Dr. Carol Pallas. "This extra funding gives us the opportunity to provide transportation to all of our students without interruption while the district determines the best course of action moving forward. It allows us to maintain our budget while giving us the time we need to properly inform our community about any possible changes to our transportation plan."

"We are striving for a smooth, efficient transition as we focus on cost-cutting measures that will have a minimal impact on students," said Schalmont Transportation Director Joseph Hilts. "We thank Assemblyman Santabarbara for his dedication to the Schalmont community. These additional resources will ensure we are able to take care of our students without interruption while preparing for any decisions that may need to be made down the road."