NEBRASKA CITY – The Heartland Workers Center announced new school bus stops in previously underserved areas.

A press release says the stops already serve 23 students in Nebraska City from preschool to high school.

Andrea Hincapie,  a community organizer with the Heartland Workers Center, noted cases where parents were forced to miss work or arrive late to provide transportation. Other families paid up to $35 per child per week.

Hincapie: “This achievement was not a stroke of luck but the result of sustained community commitment, with 22 months of ongoing dialogue. A total of 23 meetings were  held involving community leaders alongside city and public school authorities.”

Two additional school bus stops were added. One is located on 16th Street and Eighth Avenue and the other at Fourth Corso and Fourth Terrace. School buses operate 7:20 a.m. and 3:55 p.m. on most school days.

Nebraska City commissioners approved a budget of $9,000 from ARPA funds and School Superintendent Mark Fritch led feasibility studies to support the effort.