The School Committee plans to hear from parents about busing needs and whether 5th graders should be moved to Wareham Middle School during a January public hearing.

As the budget season for the next fiscal year rapidly approaches and a deficit looms, School Department officials are once again discussing how much of a service it can provide to parents who rely on school transportation.

Faced with increasing maintenance expenses, School Department officials have proposed reducing the number of buses the district runs -- eliminating the busing of students that it is not by law required to transport.

Changes did not have to go into effect for the current school year, however, after the state provided Wareham with a more than $125,000 reimbursement from the state for expenses the district incurred from transporting homeless students last year.

Parents will also be asked to sound off about whether 5th grade students should be moved to Wareham Middle School to ease crowding at Wareham's two elementary schools.

The School Department will first hear from school administrators about their needs.

The School Committee tentatively decided that a public hearing will be held January 9. Wareham Week will provide details once a date has been set.