SAUGUS, Mass. — As students get ready to head back to school, some parents in Saugus said they needed to figure out a new way to get their kids there.
Massachusetts state law requires that school districts provide free school bus transportation for public school students in grades K through 6 who live more than two miles away from school.
Saugus parent Fabiola Machado says in the past, students falling outside those parameters were able to join a waitlist for a seat on the bus. This year, Machado says Saugus did away with the waitlist without notifying families.
“We just found out by word of mouth, which was kind of disappointing,” said Machado. She says the change means one of her children can have a seat on the bus, but the other cannot.
Boston 25’s Catherine Parrotta reached out to the Superintendent’s Office for the Saugus Public Schools.
“The Saugus Public Schools adjusted our FY26 budget to reflect the actual funding we received. To protect essential educational services, the district, building administrators, and the Saugus School Committee made several budget adjustments,” the Superintendents office said. “One of these adjustments was to fund only the mandated transportation requirements. This means that only students who qualify under state guidelines will receive bus transportation. Families of students who do not meet these requirements will need to make alternate transportation arrangements,” they added.
The issue of providing school bus transportation to students isn’t unique to Saugus. Surrounding communities are also dealing with the issue of transportation.
In Peabody, the district’s website states students in grades K through 6 living less than two miles from school need to pay a transportation fee if they want to ride the bus. Students in grades 7 through 12 can also pay to ride, but only if there’s seating available.
Reading’s website says students are specific schools who aren’t eligible for free school bus transportation have the option to purchase it, based on availability.
Machado says she wishes Saugus provided parents with an option to pay for bus service, adding, “We would happily pay for them to come into the bus. And maybe with some paying, some not, everybody could have access.”
Machado says she had to get creative with transportation for her child, who can’t ride the bus. She arranged a carpool for morning drop off, and is paying for private transportation for an afternoon ride home.
The Superintendent’s Office didn’t indicate there are any plans to reconsider the busing policy, stating all students who qualify for transportation are being provided service.
Because additional seats are not expected to become available, the district says it is not keeping a wait list.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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