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Commack taxpayers could save $1.1 million by stripping bus service from some students, under a proposal being voted on Thursday by district residents.

If voters approve the proposition, minimum distances for bus service would be doubled for students from kindergarten through high school, the district said on its Web site. That means some students who currently get bused to school would have to walk or seek alternate transportation.

Distances vary by grade, and students are exempt if they have to cross a major highway to get to school.

Polls are open until 7 p.m. Thursday at Commack Middle School and Commack High School.

Approval of the proposition would save the average homeowner about $83, the district said.

If approved, the new policy would provide bus service to students in grades kindergarten to second grade if they live at least one half-mile from school; currently, bus service is available for students in those grades who live at least a quarter-mile from school.

Students in grades 3 to 8 would be eligible for buses if they live one mile from school under the new policy; the current policy provides buses for those students who live a half-mile from school.

Students in grades 9 to 12 could take the bus if they live at least 2 miles from school, instead of 1 mile from school.

Exceptions would be made for students who must cross a four-lane highway, such as Indian Head Road, Commack Road or Jericho Turnpike, to get to school. Those students could take the bus, regardless of the distances of their homes from their schools.

The 2009-2010 budget passed by district voters last month calls for spending $11,492,769 on bus transportation. The district canceled the daily 6 p.m. late bus to cut costs.