By Sue Kiesewetter
Enquirer contributor

TRENTON - High school students in the Edgewood Schools will have to find their own rides to school this fall.

Busing for high school students and for those in grades K-8 who live less than 2 miles from school was eliminated this week as part of a $1 million budget reduction package approved by the school board.

"We're hoping these cuts are temporary,'' said Superintendent Tom York.

York said the board has pledged to put another issue on the Aug. 3 ballot. Should it pass, most of the cuts would be restored. Had it passed March 2, the levy would have brought $2.5 million.

Along with transportation cuts, the district is immediately imposing a hiring and pay freeze, limiting textbook purchases to those required by law, cutting all after-school sports, clubs and drama productions, and reducing hours or days worked for other employees.

School will start 25 minutes later for elementary school students as bus schedules are adjusted and about 45 minutes later for high school students. Changes in the hours of cafeteria workers and a move to prepackage breakfasts at the high school prompted the later start, York said.

The cuts are particularly hard for head football coach Steve Channell, who is also the district's athletic director, a position that will end when school lets out in June.

His team was Ohio Division II runner-up.

Unless the Edgewood Parent Activity Committee for our Kids is successful in its efforts to begin a pay-to-participate program, Channell said he would have full sports schedules but no teams. All the schools on next year's schedules have agreed to leave Edgewood on their schedule, Channell said.

York said he is encouraged by the committee's pledge to bring all activities back on a pay-to-participate basis and their willingness to work on the August levy campaign.

"They've already started working on the levy,'' York said. "They know the answers to our problems are passage of the levy and the effort to do something for school funding. They're offering to send letters to legislators.''

E-mail suek@infionline.net