OXFORD — Community meetings to discuss a proposed single-bus-run system continue in the Oxford Hills School District this week.

The Oxford Hills School District Board of Directors gave the go-ahead to Superintendent Rick Colpitts and other school officials on Feb. 7 to look into reducing bus runs so that elementary, middle and high school students are picked up on one run. The move is being considered to help meet an estimated $1.2 million to $2 million budget gap in the fiscal year 2011-12.

There are 57 bus routes that average 777,000 miles per year.

The move to have just one bus run is expected to save about $393,000, Colpitts said. The meetings are only to gather information.

A recommendation will be made by Colpitts when he presents his budget for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Colpitts said the meetings began last week with about 15 to 20 parents and community members turning out in Norway and Hebron for the first set of meetings.

Meetings will be held Thursday, March 10, at the Waterford Memorial Elementary School and Oxford Elementary School beginning at 7 p.m. They will continue March 14 at the Otisfield Community School and Harrison Elementary School at 7 p.m.

Meetings were held at the Paris Elementary School and Agnes Gray Elementary School in West Paris earlier this week.

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