Letter from the Superintendent about changes to the elementary school transportation zones

July 27, 2010

The Monticello Central School District has gone through a significant reorganization at the elementary level. We were forced into this situation due to a significant cut in our budget which has resulted in the closure of one of our elementary schools. As part of the reorganization we have converted the Cooke and Rutherford Elementary Schools into K-5 schools.

Due to this change the Cooke and Rutherford Elementary Schools no longer share the same transportation zones. Each school will now begin at the same time and students in their attendance zones will be transported on buses assigned to a particular school. The new arrangement will result in more effective use of time at each elementary school.

By creating separate transportation zones for the Cooke and Rutherford Elementary Schools, we can no longer transport students into the different attendance zones for each school. For example, if your child attends the Rutherford, we cannot transport him or her to another school’s attendance zone for daycare. The same holds true for the Cooke and Chase Elementary Schools.

We are aware that this will cause some hardships for families. We spent a considerable amount of time studying the issue in the hope of coming up with a solution that did not significantly impact the educational program and our transportation budget. Unfortunately, we could not find a solution that did not significantly increase cost. We wanted to let families know as soon as possible so that they could rearrange their daycare.

We also wanted to suggest a possible solution to the problem. All three of our elementary schools offer early morning and after school daycare. The daycare program is available through a certified provider named Club Rec, which is run by the Footings organization. Information about this program can be obtained by calling your school’s main office or by CLICKING HERE.

This school year brings many changes to our school communities. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we move forward.