The start of the academic year for the territory's public schools will be delayed two weeks, and there will be no bus service, at least initially, Education Commissioner Ruby Simmonds said Monday.
School had been scheduled to resume on Aug. 28. Instead, it will start Sept. 11, because of construction work still under way at several schools, Simmonds said. Lack of funds has forced the department to suspend bus service for public school students, she said.
In a letter on Friday to Rupert Abramson, president of Abramson Enterprises, the company that provides bus transportation for students on St. Croix, Simmonds wrote that Education "has no choice but to suspend transportation services until such time as we can identify funds to cover those costs."
In an interview Monday morning, Simmonds said similar letters were sent to the two companies that provide bus service on St. Thomas and St. John.
"There are no funds in our budget at this time to pay for bus service," Simmonds said, adding that her department is facing a proposed $2.3 million budget reduction for fiscal year 2001. "I cannot say at this time when this dilemma will end," she said.
Several months ago, Simmonds announced her intent to begin charging elementary school students $5 a week and secondary school students twice that this fall to ride school buses. She said the fees would help fund the $5 million it costs to transport students annually. Her announcement raised a storm of protest, however.
The Senate approved legislation to prevent the move, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull vetoed that measure and the bill now faces a possible legislative override. Meantime, a class-action lawsuit by parents is pending in Territorial Court.
On Monday, Simmonds said the plan for weekly bus fees has been dropped in favor of a flat 50-cent fare each time a student boards a school bus.
Meanwhile, Ralph Mandrew, president of the V.I. Workers Union, which represents school bus drivers, said about 30 people will be out of jobs on St. Croix because of the suspension of service.
Simmonds had scheduled a press conference for 2 p.m. Monday to discuss the upcoming school year but canceled it because of the hurricane warning in effect for Tropical Storm Debby.