The busing program shared by Gros Cap and St. Ignace school districts that pools students at bus stops for pick-up is satisfactory, school superintendents say, and is likely to continue next school year. Members of the Gros Cap and St. Ignace school boards met Wednesday, January 25, to discuss collaborative efforts made between the two schools. The K-8 Moran Township district at Gros Cap and nearby K- 12 St. Ignace Area Schools have worked together in areas such as busing, sports, and band programming for many years, but the state is offering financial incentives this year to schools successfully collaborating with one another to cut costs.

Members of the two boards meet every six months to discuss how the joint efforts are panning out, according to Don Gustafson, St. Ignace superintendent, “to keep the lines of communication open and talk about any concerns.”

Gros Cap Superintendent Bill Peltier updated the boards on the transportation agreement between the two districts.

“Things are going very smoothly,” he said.

They combined busing contracts about eight years ago. Gros Cap pays St. Ignace around $80,000 a year to pick up and drop off their students. Because the schools are near one another, many of the same routes can be used.

While bus scheduling was sometimes unreliable in the past, the current arrangement has been getting students to school on time and picking them up as scheduled, said Mr. Peltier.

Mr. Gustafson explained that several improvements have been made to the system.

“It’s gone from a taxi system to a bus stop system,” he said. Instead of picking up each student individually from their house, the buses pick them up in groups from common locations. That way there are fewer stops and the bus can complete its trip in less time, using less fuel.

To qualify for an additional $100 per student from the state, Gros Cap School placed an advertisement in the newspaper for bids from transportation providers for busing next school year. Bids were due by Wednesday, January 25, at noon. St. Ignace Area Schools submitted a bid to continue the current transportation arrangement.

Mr. Peltier said he is happy with the current arrangement and doesn’t anticipate a change.

The two schools boards will meet again June 6 at noon.