By ALEX MALM

In 2020 the Warwick School Committee adopted a policy that would increase the walking distance for all grade levels by .25 miles.

Then the pandemic happened, and those increases were put on hold.

On Tuesday, the School Committee voted in favor of the increases for the next academic year.

Cam Machado, Director of Non-Instructional Services said that during covid the department limited the number of students that were on the buses and moved to “extreme walking distance.”

For grades K-5 the walking distance will increase to 1 mile, for middle school it will increase to 2 miles and for high school it will increase to 2.25 miles.

“The request is due to budget constraints and is the least intrusive increase for the community,” a memo from Machado reads. “With the proposed walking distance, the Transportation Department will be able to maximize the amount of buses within the budget and will continue to route students that are affected by roads deemed hazardous by Warwick Public Schools and The City of Warwick.

According to Machado the Warwick Public Schools has close to 6,000 riders.

Machado said that a regular size bus costs $408.94 a day. With the increase in walking distance Machado said they were able to cut regular buses from their fleet for next year.

The policy will need a second reading before it is finalized. It is expected to be voted on again during the next meeting.