Woodbridge school board brings back freshman sports, fires busing supervisor

by Sergio Bichao on Aug 20th | Email

WOODBRIDGE, NJ -- A divided Board of Education voted Thursday to use $2.3 million to bring back freshman sports and courtesy busing for K-5 students.

The late action means courtesy busing will not be available until sometime in October. Bus passes will be mailed in September. Busing, however, will be available in September for routes that had not been eliminated in March. It was also too late to bring back freshman football and soccer, but softball, baseball and basketball will return.

In a surprise move, the board also voted 6-3 to fire its transportation supervisor. It is unclear why Edmund Treadaway was terminated because school board members reached today declined to discuss personnel matters and district administrators could not be reached for comment.

Reached at home, Treadaway said only, “I’m trying to do the right thing.”

Treadaway was hired exactly a year ago at $78,000 to supervise the district’s in-house fleet of buses, drivers and routes contracted to private companies. He is suspended with pay until October.

Busing in Woodbridge became a hot topic this month after officials called a parents meeting last week to explain the loss of courtesy busing and announce a new before-care program and discuss safe walking routes.

Most parents who came to the meeting, however, were shocked to learn that courtesy busing had been eliminated despite numerous public budget meetings and notices between March and May.

Some parents blasted the district for not fully investigating other options, such as allowing parents to pay for their own busing.

Business administrator Dennis DeMarino said he took “full responsibility” for not arranging a meeting between private bus companies and parents sooner. But a day after announcing a meeting date the event was canceled because the school board decided to reinstate some courtesy busing over the objection of schools Superintendent John Crowe.

Also restored to the budget are 10 literacy coaches, an attendance officer, a 2nd grade literacy program, a new financial literacy curriculum, an updated biology curriculum, money for technology repairs and replacements, more security at the high schools and extra money in the budget for unemployment insurance on recommendation of the district’s auditor.

Diane Acquisto and Jonathan Triebwasser voted against busing. Acquisto also voted against freshman sports while Triebwasser abstained on that item.

On Treadaway, Acquisto, Triebwasser and Lawrence Miloscia voted no.

Board members reached Friday said there has not been any discussion on replacing Treadaway, although Miloscia said “there is certainly a necessity for such an individual.”