By LINDA KELLETT

C-S-E News Staff

OPPENHEIM — Although the first day of school is probably the last thing on the minds of Oppenheim-Ephratah and St. Johnsville school students, it’s a top priority for board members, administrators and staff who are in countdown mode for the start of the 2013-'14 academic year.

Over the last few weeks, members of the joint boards of education have heard reports from department heads about student transportation, electives, special education programs, technology and connectivity, building and grounds maintenance, and other issues of relevance to the merging districts.

While most of the outstanding matters will be addressed by members of the new board of education, some recommendations have already been made.

During a presentation on what the merged districts’ student transportation service might look like when the new year starts in July, for example, O-ECS Transportation Supervisor Bruce LaQuay said that he, Stephanie Dye and other staff who met were guided by Chapter 7 of the merger study that preceded the districts’ initial, 2011 merger votes.

As detailed in that document, he said St. Johnsville currently operates with four buses, three of which they own and a fourth that’s leased through the Fort Plain School District. When the new year starts, he said the merged district will no longer need the shared transportation service with Fort Plain. 

St. Johnsville bus runs currently are about 55 minutes.

During the 2012-’13 year, he said the Oppenheim-Ephratah District was able to consolidate runs and downsize their fleet by one bus. That vehicle will be available to replace the leased Fort Plain bus. 

He said O-E, which has a larger area to cover than St. Johnsville, has six big buses. Average run times are about an hour and 10 minutes.

Bus routes for each district will remain basically the same in the new year. Additionally, he noted that students who presently walk to school will continue the practice in 2013-’14.

In the new year, elementary students from each district will remain in their respective schools. Middle school students from both districts will attend classes at the Oppenheim building, and high school students from both districts will go to what is now the St. Johnsville Junior-Senior High School. 

A couple of buses will be used to transfer St. Johnsville middle school students to and from Oppenheim, and Oppenheim high school students to and from St. Johnsville.

LaQuay said Oppenheim-Ephratah helps with BOCES transportation in order to cut costs. He recommended that practice also continue: “Wherever we overlap with other districts, if we can transport students to cut costs, that is also looked at,” he said.

Finally, he noted the Oppenheim-Ephratah School District in the past has housed and maintained its own fleet of buses, operated by district drivers. LaQuay recommended that the practice continue in the future.