PLACENTIA : Schools May Charge for Busing to Games

Students in extracurricular activities may have to start paying for their rides to football games or band concerts.

Trustees of the Placentia Unified School District gave tentative approval this week to a proposal that calls for charging high school students the cost of busing them to and from after-school activities. The students would have to pay between $30 and $90 a year, depending on the type of activity and the high school they attend.

District officials said they found the fee was needed as they looked for ways to trim the 1991-92 budget without disturbing core academic programs. The district’s $92-million budget, approved by board trustees Tuesday, includes $9 million in cuts.

Parents have the option of providing their own transportation for their children, and no student will be prohibited from participating in extracurricular activities because of financial hardship, school officials said.

The district spends about $300,000 a year for operating after-school buses. District officials remain unsure how much the new fees will go toward defraying the cost of the buses, said Sharon McHolland, assistant superintendent for educational services.

“We don’t have any idea, obviously, until we try it for one year,” she said.

A state Court of Appeal recently ruled in a case involving the Arcadia Unified School District that districts can charge for busing.