Putnam School Bus Agreement Still Pending Overton Acceptance

The Putnam County School System is looking to continue its agreement with Overton County Schools to assist with busing.

Putnam Attendance Supervisor Chris Pierce said that Putnam assists with busing high school students in the Wilson Elementary zone to Monterey High School. Pierce said the updated agreement requires residency in the Highway 164 corridor in southern Overton County.

“The main benefit of this agreement would be in minimizing the bus ride times for those students living in that area,” Pierce said. “Who would have attended high school in Overton County.”

Pierce said that students in that zone getting bused to Livingston Academy pushes the limits of the maximum time the state allows on a school bus. Pierce said this agreement still needs to be accepted by the Overton County Board of Education.

He said this has been agreed to either formally or informally since at least the 1980’s.

“This agreement states that only high school students residing within the Wilson Elementary bus zone,” Pierce said. “May enroll initially at Monterey High School, for their enrollment.”

Pierce said an agreement was in place, but the updated version has been accepted by Putnam County Schools.

“The previous agreement included an 8th grade completion requirement at Wilson Elementary,” Pierce said. “But no residency requirement within that particular bus zone, none of that was built in. This new agreement includes the residency requirement which returns to the original purpose of the agreement years ago. To serve only the students of the Highway 164 corridor.”

Pierce said this agreement does not need to be applied to high school students in that zone who can provide their own transportation.