BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Public School District decided in a work session on Wednesday that the controversial proposed resolution presented last week by board member Sharon Belton-Cottman needed some fine-tuning before it came to vote.
The proposed resolution, as is, would reimburse parents who drive their kids to school with a gas card.
While the board and district agree there's a problem that needs fixing as it relates to transportation issues, there's debate about what the solution should be and how quickly it should be implemented.
During Wednesday night's three hour work session, Belton-Cottman restated the need for urgency.
"I'm not concerned with what other people are doing," Belton-Cottman said. "I care about Buffalo Public Schools are doing for their students."
Several board members expressed their thoughts, as was the intention of the work session.
Board President Louis Petrucci said before sit downs with the State Board of Education, "We need to define our ask. Is it going to be a trial? Is it a survey? We need to formalize these documents. There is more work that is required here."
Jen Macozzi also expressed the need for more specifics as it relates to finances and those families affected. Macozzi directly asked the district's director of transportation, Cheryl Kennedy, to provide a breakdown of statistics and numbers to better inform the community.
"If possible," Mecozzi asked, "some of these statistics that could help prove whether or not to move the need, is there a way to bullet point them so we as board members could share those with our constituents instead of having to wait for formal updates or reports?"
The session was led by Finance & Operations Chair, Paulette Woods. Other board members, including Larry Scott, Kathy Evans-Brown, Hope Jay, Terrance Heard, and Ann Rivera also chimed in with their thoughts, comments and concerns, as did the district's superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash.
Ultimately, an agreement was reached. A small group of members, under President Petrucci, will work on bringing together some suggested amendments and formalizing them into a concise document to present to Dr. Kriner Cash for review.
The hope is in narrowing down the existing resolution action can be voted on and implemented sometime this year as a trial.