RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The mayor of La Vergne is urging the Rutherford County School Board to rescind their decision to create parent responsibility zones. The measure would eliminate bus service for students along roughly 44 routes. 

On Monday, La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole offered to sit down with the school board and review their budget before making these cuts.  

“Our school board talks about putting the students first and this puts their financial budget first and our students last,” Cole said. 

Parent responsibility zones, or PRZs, would mean elementary school students living within a mile of their school would have to find their own transportation. That’s in addition to middle and high schoolers living within a mile and a half of their schools. 

The measure is meant to help save the district money as it works to fill in the gap in next year’s budget. 

“This new PRZ will eliminate bus service to 80% or more of Lake Forest Estates, which is the largest subdivision in the state of Tennessee, it's the third largest in the country, and it's still growing," Cole said. "We have additional traffic concerns; we have possibly students walking to school and these are young children."

Ted Hatfield lives in Lake Forest Estates, which is also where he serves as a bus driver. 

"Our relationship with the kids is really great, especially on our team. They're not just warm bodies that get on a bus. They're people that we impact,” Hatfield said. “And now, my group of kids that I care greatly for are going to have a nightmare next season.” 

Mayor Cole said he's concerned about kids having to cross Murfreesboro Road and Old Nashville Highway. That's on top of what he calls a "lack of notice and community input" on the decision.

Now, he is urging the school board to rescind their vote, and is even offering his help to find an alternative.

"I'm willing to sit down and go through their budget with them if they want, but we do it every year with ours, and we find ways to improve and give our residents more services for less money," Cole added.

One suggestion made by the school board was to increase taxes by a nickel to make their budget work. However, county commissioners would have to approve that.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/la-vergne-mayor-urges-school-board-to-rescind-vote-on-parent-responsibility-zones/