Students Action News spoke with aren't happy about the idea, but district officials said it may be the best option to deal with a very difficult situation.
Students who take the bus to and from each of the campuses in the Merced Union High School District don't like the idea of having some bus stops eliminated.
Merced High Student Kaleb Jones said, "I get dropped off probably about a quarter mile away from my house, and if they cut that stop I would have to walk a lot farther, so I don't really want that to happen."
And some bus drivers are concerned a longer walk could lead more kids to cut class or even put them in danger if they're forced to cross busy streets.
Bus driver Shirley Medeiros said, "You're talking about safety, this is our district, these are our students. And we're talking about safety first."
But Superintendent Scott Scambray said the District and School Board are just beginning to investigate the options, and safety will be a priority. For example, he said they don't want to eliminate stops that would force Golden Valley High School students to walk near Highway 99. And he tells us at this point there are no plans to extend the maximum distance for students beyond the current two mile radius, but he says some stops may need to be eliminated to save money.
Scambray said, "The bottom line is we have to cut. We have to cut between 14 and 16-million dollars over the next three years, and we're trying to keep it as far away from the classroom as possible."
Scambray said it may still be impossible to keep from cutting employees, but he's hoping enough teachers will take a retirement incentive to prevent sending out pink slips.
"We don't want to put any people on the street, but we're probably going to have to do that," said Scambray.
The Merced Union High School District Board held a meeting Wednesday night at 5:30 at the Buhach High School Theater in Atwater. No decisions will be made about the bus stops, but the public is invited to attend.