School district scraps plan for CAT buses

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Thursday, Jan. 23, 2003 | 11:18 a.m.

After encountering strong opposition from parents, Clark County School District officials are canceling a cost-saving plan to put Rancho and Valley high school students on public buses.

"It just wasn't worth it, to have that many people upset," said Richard Ennes, business manager for the Clark County School District, who met with about 200 angry parents and students at a meeting at Valley High School Wednesday. "It's still a good idea, and maybe we'll try again in the future, but for now families are too accustomed to the system we have."

Plans to put students from Rancho on CAT buses were scrapped last week after safety concerns were raised by families and officials at Nellis Air Force Base, which is served by the campus.

The pilot program would have affected about 760 students and would have saved the district $90,000 annually.

The district's transportation budget was slated for cuts last spring when officials faced a $12.6 million shortfall. Plans to expand the radius for qualifying for high school bus services from two to three miles were dropped, also following significant parental opposition, Ennes said.