Buses ready to roll at Iowa City Regina

Iowa City Regina has picked up a school bus provider for the coming school year.

After the Iowa City school district said it would stop busing Regina students starting this fall as a money-saving move, the Regina school board recently approved a contract with CIT Charters Inc. out of central Iowa.

That's a major relief for school officials and parents, who strongly protested the Iowa City school board's decision last year.

“This ensures that parents can get their children to the school of their choice,” said Regina President Carol Trueg, who called finding a busing solution the top priority of administrators.

As a private K-12 school, Regina attracts students from across the area. It's anticipated that about 275 of the more than 850 students expected to enroll at Regina this fall will ride a bus regularly, Trueg said.

CIT Charters will run six routes at an estimated cost of $300,000 for the year, she said. It's not clear how much of that Regina will have to cover, an uncertainty Trueg calls a “little bit scary.”

The state provides some money to public school districts for transportation of non-public students in their boundaries, but the funds don't cover the full cost. The Regina and Iowa City school boards have agreed to a contract that sends that money to Regina.

Regina will be reimbursed either the Iowa City school district's average transportation cost per pupil or Regina's average cost per pupil – whichever is less. Trueg said they expect that money to cover most of the $300,000.

Regina families will be charged a $50 bus fee per student, Trueg said.

The Iowa City school district estimated that it would save $260,000 a year by not busing Regina students. The new arrangement does not cost the Iowa City school district any money.