School Buses

HARRODSBURG - Over the last 11 days, an unknown suspect has taken Mercer County school buses for a joyride on at least three occasions and caused about $10,000 in damage to the buses, officials said. On June 9, someone stole a bus from the district's bus garage and apparently drove it around the parking lot, said Superintendent Dennis Davis. School officials immediately called Harrodsburg police and filed a report. Last week, between Thursday evening and Friday morning, an unknown person entered the garage and took the same school bus, police said.

On consecutive days late last week, Jessamine County school buses were involved in minor traffic accidents. Last Thursday Chris Bellman, the director of transportation for the Jessamine County School District, said a car slid into a bus at South Main Street and U.S. 27 causing minor "cosmetic damage" to the bus. According to a police report from the Nicholasville Police Department, the Jan. 11 accident occurred around 7:25 a.m. when the...

Back into the financial black, the Clark County Board of Education on Monday restored funding to several programs cut during the last budget cycle, and approved the purchase of three school buses to replace aging vehicles in the district's fleet. Superintendent Ed Musgrove said the board has approved $29,600 in additions to the budget since it began reconsidering items cut last year. On Monday, the board voted to fund $2,500 for the Junior Achievement program, $6,000 to cover half the cost of an additional counselor at Conkwright Middle, and $10,000 to hire a targeted assistance coach to help raise test scores at George Rogers Clark High School.

With several high profile accidents involving school buses in the news in recent months, school bus safety is a top priority for school systems across the state as the new year begins. The Jessamine County school district, like others in Kentucky, is always looking for ways of making the ride to and from school safer for both the students and drivers. Board member Eugene Peel said it was the school district's responsibility to make it safer for the students while at school and on the bus. "If we can get them to school and make sure they are safe there and then get them back home just like mom and dad sent them to us, then we have done our job," Peel said.

Jim Spurlin, transportation director for Garrard County Schools, said that trouble with a deteriorating road in north Garrard County has been rectified, for the most part. New Haven, a subdivision in which about 48 children reside, had a road on a hill which was breaking away at the sides, causing huge trenches. The road had been made off limits to school buses earlier because it was deemed unsafe, but the bus is running on the road again. The worst areas of the road have been repaired by Bill Blankenship, one of the builders of the subdivision, Spurlin said.

A Clark County school bus weaves around a construction area on busy South Main Street Tuesday afternoon. The bus was heading to St. Agatha Academy to pick up students before going on to a county school. With the start of school, school buses are traveling city and county streets each morning and afternoon.

With dual concerns of safety and efficiency, West Jessamine High school will alter its traffic pattern next year, placing priority on school buses and sending students and parents on the loop around the school. The school has two access points to Wilmore Road (Ky. 29): a two-lane exit just west of the highway's intersection with Jessamine Station Road and a three-lane junction about 400 feet west of that. The west junction has two lanes dedicated for entrance and a third exit lane that is also used for entering school-bus traffic.

If you still have Christmas shopping or other retail therapy needs upcoming, please avoid Fayette Mall. They do not want our business.   Whether it's because we are from schools in Danville or because we were a group of disabled students, we were treated with contempt, ridicule and spite during a recent visit. We've transported disabled students to Fayette Mall for years without even a hiccup.   Most recently, however, we weren't afforded the same privilege as Fayette or Jessamine County school buses and the same respect was not shown to our staff, driver and children.

HARRODSBURG - Mercer County school buses are going green, albeit a little bit at a time. All of the school district's 66 buses are powered by diesel fuel and, when the cost is reasonable, Transportation Director Mike Preston buys bio-diesel to use in them. Preston defines reasonable as no more than 5 cents a gallon more than regular diesel. He was able to fill the district's 10,000-gallon storage tank with bio-diesel twice during the previous school year and once so far this year.

Jan. 27, 1987 Plans for a new ninth-grade wing at George Rogers Clark High School continue to be developed by the Clark County Board of Education. After consideration, the board voted to design a 14-room classroom wing, with an alternate for four additional rooms. After a four-day weekend that resulted from snowy conditions and icy roads, students throughout Clark County returned to classrooms today on the snow emergency plan. Under the plan, school buses avoid designated sparsely-travelled secondary and side roads which remain snow-and-ice covered after primary roads have been cleared.

With dual concerns of safety and efficiency, West Jessamine High school will alter its traffic pattern next year, placing priority on school buses and sending students and parents on the loop around the school. The school has two access points to Wilmore Road (Ky. 29): a two-lane exit just west of the highway's intersection with Jessamine Station Road and a three-lane junction about 400 feet west of that. The west junction has two lanes dedicated for entrance and a third exit lane that is also used for entering school-bus traffic.

If you still have Christmas shopping or other retail therapy needs upcoming, please avoid Fayette Mall. They do not want our business.   Whether it's because we are from schools in Danville or because we were a group of disabled students, we were treated with contempt, ridicule and spite during a recent visit. We've transported disabled students to Fayette Mall for years without even a hiccup.   Most recently, however, we weren't afforded the same privilege as Fayette or Jessamine County school buses and the same respect was not shown to our staff, driver and children.

We've seen that many in Kentucky's legislature and teachers unions are adamant enemies of school choice in the commonwealth. The Kentucky Education Association has worked for years with powerful politicians to keep even the most rudimentary types of school choice - like the charter schools found in 41 other states and the District of Columbia - from winning out in Kentucky. But a recent ruling has revealed another player in that axis against any type of educational liberty: the Kentucky Supreme Court.

HARRODSBURG - Over the last 11 days, an unknown suspect has taken Mercer County school buses for a joyride on at least three occasions and caused about $10,000 in damage to the buses, officials said. On June 9, someone stole a bus from the district's bus garage and apparently drove it around the parking lot, said Superintendent Dennis Davis. School officials immediately called Harrodsburg police and filed a report. Last week, between Thursday evening and Friday morning, an unknown person entered the garage and took the same school bus, police said.

The Cornishville School House was built in 1862 near the Christian Church.  The first floor of the school building was used for classes and the Masonic Hall was on the second floor, according to Edith Durr Reed.  A cyclone on Feb. 7, 1904, sliced off the end of the building near the church. The building was repaired and used until it was destroyed by fire in June 1913.  Mercer County Board of Education purchased a house and lot in Cornishville from George W. Morris, a photographer, for $700 to replace the old building.

Jan. 27, 1987 Plans for a new ninth-grade wing at George Rogers Clark High School continue to be developed by the Clark County Board of Education. After consideration, the board voted to design a 14-room classroom wing, with an alternate for four additional rooms. After a four-day weekend that resulted from snowy conditions and icy roads, students throughout Clark County returned to classrooms today on the snow emergency plan. Under the plan, school buses avoid designated sparsely-travelled secondary and side roads which remain snow-and-ice covered after primary roads have been cleared.

A spring-like weekend helped thaw ice-bound Clark County, but thousands remained without power, and schools were closed for another day today. According to a statement released by Clark Energy on Saturday, 1,787 customers were still without power. There is no estimate as to when crews will have all lines back up and running, but additional linemen and tree trimmers have been brought in from out of state and southern Kentucky to assist with the cleanup. Four crews of tree trimmers have been brought in from Palmetto, Ga., Covington, Ga. and Gray, Ky. As of 9:30 a.m. today, KU customers were faring slightly better, with 450 customers without power.

At noon, officials once again met at the Danville-Boyle County Emergency Operations Center. Here are the latest udpates. Water Assistant City Engineer Josh Morgan reported tanks were still filling up to capacity at the water plant. At 12-1 p.m. the plant was going to move from generator to Kentucky Utilities-supplied power. Morgan said he anticipates no problem in doing so. He also noted customers should start to see a gradual increase in water pressure, and a boil water advisory remains in effect.

A Clark County school bus weaves around a construction area on busy South Main Street Tuesday afternoon. The bus was heading to St. Agatha Academy to pick up students before going on to a county school. With the start of school, school buses are traveling city and county streets each morning and afternoon.