St. Joseph Catholic Church - Neptune at 28172 Nature Avenue, Hinton, IA 51024-8553 US - NEPTUNE PARISH SCHOOL BUS

Since the late 1950s this parish has operated bus service for children of the parish attending Gehlen Catholic School. Our bus provides safe transportation for many of our children who live outside of the Le Mars Community School District who, otherwise, would not have bus service. On July 1, the parish gave the bus to Gehlen Catholic School for continued operation. -- Presentation by Fr. Mark to Gehlen Catholic School of our school bus: In the fall of 1959 this parish purchased its first school bus, a 48-passenger bus, to accommodate students of the parish attending Gehlen Catholic School. 45 students were bussed to Gehlen in the fall of 1960. By the fall of 1964 two busses were needed to transport the 87 students of the parish to Gehlen. Cost for the operation of these busses was covered by the generous contributions of parishioners and by the introduction of The Lincoln Stag in 1969. (Yes, we had to rely on drinking and gambling to pay for our busses.) In 1972 or 1973 the Catholic Schools of the State of Iowa won the right to have their children bussed on public school busses* and to be reimbursed if their children did not ride a public school bus. With this development, students outside of the Le Mars Community District became the main riders of our busses and the parish has been reimbursed from the Remsen-Union, Kingsley-Pierson, and Hinton Community School Districts. These reimbursements were a moneymaker for the parish as they covered the cost of operation of the bus including the repairs and replacements of many busses. Today this parish operates a 1982 Ford 35-passenger bus. Until the purchase of our current vehicle Gehlen Catholic Schools would occasionally utilize our vehicle, including the 1985 GMC Ward 59-passenger bus, for field trips. Over all, this parish has offered a priceless gift to Gehlen Catholic School since 1959 in the form of a “free” and safe ride to a countless number of students attending Gehlen Catholic School. If there is any price to be attached to what the parish has offered Gehlen Catholic School, it would be at least $90,000! During fiscal year 2002 we paid $7,438.94 for fuel/repairs/maintenance/insurance (including a ‘new’ used engine), $263.48 for the phone, and $4,974.25 for bus driver salary, and $380.53 for FICA for a total expense of $13,057.20. We were reimbursed $5,946.81 from Remsen-Union and Kingsley-Pierson school districts. Thus, the parish paid $7,110.39 out of our own pockets to operate the bus. [Without our bus we could have given this $7,000 to Gehlen instead.] As of 17 January 2003 we paid $1,945.80 for fuel/repairs/maintenance/insurance, $168.07 for the phone, $2,583.75 for bus driver salary, and $197.66 for FICA for a total expense of $4,895.28. And we have been reimbursed $3,825.24 from Remsen-Union and Kingsley-Pierson school districts. Thus far the parish has paid $1,070.04 out of our own pockets. Plus we pay about $200 per year for Worker’s Compensation for the bus driver. Thus, over half the cost of running the bus is still paid for by the generous contributions of our parishioners! For them, we are truly grateful! The members of the parish are also grateful to Joan who has been a great asset to us in maintaining the operation of our bus including the completion of some paperwork for inspections and driver physicals. In looking at the history and future of our bus, it is clear that the ridership has been steadily declining. Today, of our 59 students, 16 are eligible to ride from grades K-12 with an average ridership of about 6 students on any given day. With a potential of having 8 new riders in the next five years and losing 9 current riders, we will have only 15 riders on a bus meant for 35 students. Furthermore, operation of this bus has helped to put the parish at least $90,000 behind in it payment of past subsidies to Gehlen Catholic School. In addition, currently there are 20 other students at Gehlen living outside the Le Mars Community School District that need to find their own route. On 21 November 1998, after many years of discussion and learning of the schools including Granville Spalding and Orange City Unity Christian who have their own busses to bus their children from multiple public school districts, the people of the parish requested that by August 2000 Gehlen should begin bussing all of its children from within and outside the Le Mars Community District. A second request was made on 25 August 2001. As nothing has happened as of this date regarding our request, And as the parish has decided, with approval at our 13 January 2003 Finance Committee meeting and our 15 January 2003 Pastoral Council meetings, to cease the operation of our bus on 30 June 2003, It is my pleasure on behalf of the parish, with the approval of the Finance Committee and our Pastoral Council, to present to Gehlen Catholic School on 1 July 2003: 1. the title to our bus, 2. the keys to our bus, 3. the Neptune bus route, 4. and our faithful bus driver. The only stipulation on our gift is that: as long as the doors of Gehlen Catholic School remain open, our current bus route will be covered by the operation of a school bus. The Finance Committee, Pastoral Council, parish bookkeeper, and I will be willing to help with the completion of the transition this gift. This includes: 1. offering budgetary and route advice, 2. helping to procure the amendment of our contract with the Remsen-Union district for Gehlen Catholic School to receive proper reimbursement for students riding your new bus who live in the RU district, 3. and offering support for your efforts to obtain bussing rights in the Le Mars Community along with West Sioux Community, Kingsley-Pierson, and MOC-Floyd Valley School Districts. On behalf of the parish, I congratulate on your gift! Sincerely yours in Christ, Rev. Mark J. Stoll Pastor *The State of Iowa Code, Chapter 285, paragraph 14 points out that students attending a non-public school are entitled to bus transportation on the same basis as public school students. *In addition, please see Gehlen News, December 2002, “Late Breaking News…”: “For parents who live more than four miles away from school and drive their kids to school….House File 2515 on the 2002 legislative sessions says…’a parent or guardian who transports one or more family members more than four miles to their nonpublic school of attendance shall be entitled to one supplemental mileage payment per family (per semester).’ The deadline for turning in a ‘Nonpublic Parent Reimbursement Request Form” is December 1. If you qualify and want some money back from the state for your travel costs to school, come in to the main office at Gehlen as soon as possible, fill out the form and turn it in to the main office at Le Mars Public Schools by Friday, November 29.”

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