School board busing decision frustrates parents

Dropping off her kids at the bus stop is an additional 12 miles roundtrip for Tracey Hockman.

“We do what we have to do as parents to get our kids to the school that we choose to send them to,” Hockman said.

Hockman sends her two kids to school in Beulah. The Pueblo City School District (District 60) voted in May that the Pueblo County School District (District 70) could not have bus stops in the city. Hockman said that decision didn’t change her mind about what school her children would attend, even though it meant driving farther and getting her kids up earlier.

“Parents will send their kids to District 60 or District 70, the school of their choice, no matter what,” Hockman said.

District 70 asked District 60 to grant it a waiver to continue busing students, but District 60 voted 4 to 0 against it. Board member Rose Holloway was not at the meeting.

KRDO NewsChannel 13 asked District 60 school board president Dr. Kathy DeNiro about the decision.

“It is school of choice. Even our parents who are involved in school choice here inside the district — if they want to go to another school, if a school choice, they do have to transport their student over there,” DeNiro said.

Parents said District 60 made that decision because it fears losing students to District 70.

“I don’t think either district is scared of losing any students to either District 60, District 70, to the charters, to the private schools,” DeNiro said.

Hockman disagreed. “Clean up your own backyard before you start barking about a bus ride, because it’s just a bus.”

Even though District 60 won’t let District 70 buses pick up students in the city, District 70 still lets District 60 pick up students in the county.