MISSION VIEJO : Hearing Is Today on School Bus Fee Hike

The Saddleback Valley Unified School District will hold a public hearing today to discuss raising the fee for annual bus passes from $150 to $365 per student.

Last month the district’s Board of Education unofficially endorsed the fee hike, which would raise $600,000 a year.

Although a final decision on the increased fees will not be made until June when trustees adopt the district’s 1992-93 budget, they have indicated they will approve the proposal.

About 4,500 of the district’s 25,000 students take the bus to school each day. District officials estimate that the number of students who ride the bus will probably decrease if the higher fees are imposed. Fees would be waived for students enrolled in special education classes or from low-income families.

The same federal guidelines that are used in qualifying families for free or reduced-priced lunch programs would be used in determining waivers for low-income families.

Last June, the board voted to charge for busing, winning a court ruling that said such fees were permissible. At that time, many parents complained, saying such charges are unfair because overcrowding has forced the busing of students to less crowded schools miles away.

The busing charges are among a list of fee increases and budget cuts being considered by the district to offset a projected $2.6-million budget shortfall. Approximately $1.3 million was spent by the district on busing last year, officials said.

The public hearing will begin at 7 p.m. in the Board of Education Room at the Saddleback Valley Unified School District office, 25631 Diseno Drive.