Most of the 295 Eastchester families who appealed their children's loss of bus service will not get a seat.
The district simply doesn't have enough buses.
Superintendent Dr. Villanueva confirmed in a Saturday, Aug. 22 message to families that while some appeals were granted, the district's fleet has been cut from 18 large yellow school buses to just six for the 2026–27 school year.
The district also continues to operate special education vans and mini-buses, but the reduction left far fewer seats than families need. Villanueva wrote that each appeal was reviewed individually but the district lacked the capacity to grant every submission.
The appeal process did not create new seats. Appeals could only be granted when a spot remained after students who qualified under the new, voter-approved distance rules had been assigned. Nearly 3,000 students had their transportation status reviewed for initial routing or a route change.
How it got here
Eastchester voters approved a revised $112,730,666 budget on June 16 after rejecting the original $116.8 million proposal in May.
Alongside the budget, voters passed a transportation proposition (1,715 yes to 1,272 no) that raised minimum walk distances for bus eligibility: 1 mile for grades K–5 (up from 0.25–0.4 mile) and 1.5 miles for grades 6–12 (up from 0.8 mile).
The change, effective July 1, saves the district $1.93 million annually.
Families received updated transportation letters through ParentSquare on Aug. 13. Those whose appeals were granted got a separate email directly from the superintendent's office. The district said it will send an additional confirmation email to all 295 appellants stating that every appeal has been reviewed and all available seats have been assigned.
$2 million in state aid
State Sen. Shelley Mayer and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin secured $2 million in emergency state aid for the district. Villanueva credited the legislators' advocacy, noting the funds will help offset costs removed from the budget to win voter approval. The specific breakdown of how the money will be spent has not been disclosed.
Traffic and campus changes
Town Supervisor Tony Colavita and Eastchester Police Chief Joe Rodriguez have been collaborating with the district since June on traffic flow, arrival and dismissal procedures, and parking lot improvements at all four campuses.
A community forum held Aug. 18 at Mulino's, co-hosted by the town, police department and district, addressed arrival and dismissal patterns, transportation questions and parking lot construction.
Parking lot work at all campuses is underway and expected to be completed on schedule, according to the district. A FAQ from the forum will be posted on the district's transportation website.
Families who believe there is a discrepancy in their transportation assignment or whose circumstances have changed can contact Transportation Supervisor Kristene Reichard at [email protected].
