Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

INUVIK (Dec 11/98) - The high cost of bussing students has forced the District Education Authority to consider carpooling.

Previously, children in kindergarten to Grade 3 were provided the service of bussing, but DEA chair Davis Mitchell says the $16,502 the DEA budgeted for bussing this year was deemed "not enough" by North Star Service and Construction, which has held the contract the past few years. And North Star was the only company to bid on the contract.

North Star owner Gordon Campbell confirms he considered the money the DEA offered as insufficient, while adding how the contract provided no firm commitment to last the full term.

"It doesn't seem bussing has any significance at all to them," Campbell says.

"I took a look at the first paragraph and said, 'No, thank you.' They could dismiss you for any excuse at all -- even if they didn't like the way you looked or how you dressed."

Several expenses are incurred when providing bus service.

Aside from the cost of the bus and driver, there is the cost of storing the bus in a heated garage, so the inside of the bus is not -40 C when kids climb in.

"If you're going to do something, you've got to do it right," Campbell says.

Mitchell told parents and others at a public DEA meeting at SAM school Dec. 2 that he is still working to try to get bus service, but, as of now, no bussing is available and as the winter progresses the likelihood looks increasingly bleak.

Bussing would have kicked in near the start of November and run through March. Each week would cost slightly more than $1,000.

DEA member Arlene Hansen suggests a community block ride program could be informally started.

However, she steered away from saying any of the money budgeted for transporting young children could be made available for parents with vans.

"I don't think so. You know why? Insurance," Hansen says.

"You know how many millions of dollars of insurance you have to carry to carry somebody else's kids?"

She says she would not transport anyone in her vehicle other than family or friends. Still, with Inuvik being a small town, where neighbours tend to know each other, parents will likely be able to share transportation responsibility with each other.

Otherwise, Hansen suggests young kids walk to school with older siblings or neighbours through the freezing cold and dark Inuvik winter