Parents, students and residents urge Eastchester board to preserve busing and academic programs amid budget cuts

Multiple parents, students and residents told the Eastchester Union Free School District Board of Education that cuts to busing and staff would harm student safety, literacy and programs.

At the public-comment portion, one resident argued that changes to transportation policy seemed rushed and that the district had not conducted traffic studies in partnership with the highway department. Jason Mollik of Six Road said it “feels like it's a halfbaked plan...we finally spoke to the highway department and asked them for the first time would you have more crossing guards?” He urged the district to study traffic consequences before asking voters to accept a revised transportation plan.

An unnamed resident warned that shifting transportation costs off the school budget could move them to town taxpayers and offered a stark economic framing: “what you say is a $2.5 million reduction is more like a $20 million cost increase,” citing second- and third-order effects such as more cars on the road, increased accidents and higher municipal costs.

Parent Caitlyn Larabe, who identified herself during public comment, criticized the board’s continuity since 2020 and said she worried that repeated leadership turnover had contributed to fiscal instability; she also urged voters to remember those concerns in future elections.

An eighth-grade student, Stella Vowman, described the film and video production program and asked the board to retain the teacher and department, saying alumni success shows the program’s value. Mariana Prince Bay and other parents described cuts already taking effect in workshop and support classes and warned that further staff reductions would disproportionately hurt students who benefit from extra academic supports.

Several residents urged broader community outreach and clearer tax messaging, saying many voters may not understand net tax impacts such as STAR credits and caps. Connie Cullen, another commenter, asked the board to consider walking-distance burdens on students carrying instruments and backpacks and urged the district to prioritize student health and safety.

The board heard these concerns before a motion to amend the transportation proposition to the least-restrictive scenario (1.0-mile elementary; 1.5-mile secondary) and the vote to place that amendment on the June 16 ballot. The chair reminded attendees that the board was amending the proposition language for the ballot and not itself enacting the policy that evening.

Next procedural dates noted at the meeting: a budget hearing on June 9 and a special meeting and revised budget vote on June 16.