Jackson, NJ – Jackson Township officials, including Mayor Reina, Council President Jennifer Kuhn, and Councilman Mordechai Burnstein, have publicly endorsed the School Board’s decision to outsource private school bus services to the Lakewood Students Transportation Authority (LTSA).
The Jackson Township School Board has resolved to partner with the LTSA in managing transportation for private school students. This move comes as a response to the complications arising from the state’s mandate requiring municipalities to provide transportation to private school students.
Officials have highlighted that the current method of disbursing funds directly to families led to a congested and chaotic situation on township roads, with families hiring various independent transportation services.
Council President Kuhn emphasized that this new agreement would streamline transportation logistics, reducing both the administrative burden of processing payments to families and the overall number of vehicles on the road. The LTSA, which already coordinates transportation for 50,000 students daily, is expected to optimize and consolidate bus routes, thus alleviating local traffic concerns.
“There’s a lot going on every morning and afternoon on our roads,” said Council President Jennifer Kuhn said. “This change will remove the school district from the administrative overhead required to cut checks to thousands of families for transportation. Under the consolidation, the LTSA which already manages routes for 50,000 students each day will absorb the administrative overhead and work to streamline routes and consolidate bus routes to lessen the number of buses on our roads.”
Mayor Reina lauded the agreement for its potential to enhance safety and efficiency within the township, noting the benefits of having a singular, coordinated point of contact for transportation-related issues. Councilman Burnstein, while supportive of the decision, advocated for increased state funding to address the financial strain imposed by the transportation mandate, stressing that the unique circumstances in Jackson and Lakewood require more substantial support from Trenton.
Mayor Reina who has spent years working on busing solutions for all of Jackson’s students welcomed the agreement and pointed out the safety advantages of this agreement. ” Having one main point of contact for our Police, D.P.W. and administration when need be, is going to give Jackson township a better say in the safety of our township “.
This initiative marks a significant shift in how Jackson Township will manage the state-mandated transportation for private school students, aiming for a more streamlined, efficient, and safe approach to school commutes.
“We have been calling for the state to start providing transportation aid as this service is another unfunded state mandate that burdens everyone in town,” Councilman Mordechai Burnstein said. “Transportation costs are skyrocketing because we have to abide by the state regulations, but if they are making us do this, they need to chip in more on the financial costs as they do in other parts of the state to accommodate other unique educational situations.”