MENIFEE -- At the direction of the school district board, administrators are again studying policies on busing.

The Menifee Union School District board directed the staff to report back Oct. 14 with an analysis that could lead to bus rides for more students.

The decision came after Trustee Phoeba Irey raised the question of whether students who live too close to school to qualify for bus rides could buy a pass if there were room left on existing routes.

Transportation has been a contested topic since January, when the board began making budget cuts. The trustees in February opted to discontinue busing for most elementary school students for this school year. But the board later reinstated the service after receiving better news on funding from the state.

However, to save some money, they lengthened the distance Menifee Valley Middle School students must walk before qualifying for a bus ride from 1.5 to 2 miles. Irey said complaints from parents and observations that buses are not typically full prompted her to raise the issue. Elementary school students must live at least 1.25 miles from school to ride the bus.