SOUTHINGTON SCHOOLS Safety of bus routes along busy road concerns parent

High fees also are being questioned.
SOUTHINGTON -- School officials say bus routes along busy U.S. 422 may be about as good as they are going to get.
A parent has contended at the last two school board meetings that district buses criss-cross the busy highway unnecessarily. She suggested they go along one side of the divided highway to drop off students, then go along the other side, instead of crossing the highway at each drop-off point.
Board member Al Haberstroh says the highway is dangerous, period, and district bus drivers noted that tractor-trailers "blow" past the buses, regardless of their route.
Superintendent Bill Pfahler said school officials have studied the matter several times and have not found a better way of routing the buses on 422.
Fees: The board this week answered complaints about the high cost of fees.
One parent said her son's fees add up to $103. She noted as an example that the junior high science fees are $10 but there are no experiments and no workbooks.
High school principal Dave Wilson said teachers should break down the costs to show exactly what parents are paying for. Pfahler said he would have the teachers redo the lists explaining the costs.
The board approved a contract with Herff Jones to publish the Chalker High School yearbook for a base price of $7,279, provided the yearbook staff has raised the funds to pay for it. The contract calls for 100 minimum books at $72 each.
Wilson noted that one color page costs $1,000 and every change from the original contract costs $50. He added that because of the high costs, Southington will get a "Cavalier" [model], not a "Cadillac. & quot;