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Busing has become such a weight for school districts that my feelings are that they have outlived their value. Remember when Franklin Township years ago did away with busing and parents rebelled and protested that it violated their rights and was the duty of public schools? Maybe this issue has come full circle now. If we would seriously consider doing away with busing, I think it would be a good thing. There should be room for some exceptions due to circumstances and hardships but when one drives by a school and sees the long lines of cars either dropping students off or picking them up, it makes it hard to see it as a necessity. The large amount of money used to buy and maintain buses and pay the drivers, coupled with the liability of the schools for the safety of the students makes it very challenging. Think what could be done with the funds used to operate this mass transportation effort. Some states do not do it and it is the parent’s responsibility to get their kids to school. That would be more efficient, more fair, and more economical. In our culture it is reinforced constantly that the “state” has to do more for us, than less. This fosters the notion that government knows best and robs citizens of their self-worth and self-reliance.
Joe, you make a great point. I live across from a middle school and sometimes arrive when it’s letting out. There is always a giant line of cars picking up and then a large number of busses leaving that are mostly empty. That seems really wasteful and unnecessary to provide this service if things have changed over the years. There has to be a better way to transport students that need it versus how we’ve done it in the past when busses were full.
I wonder which genius set up the program where they get free transport to any school in the district. It’s easy making decisions when you’re spending other people’s money. if they choose any school other than the one they’re assigned, the transportation should be up to the parents.
Perfectly articulated. If they like it so much, they can drive their children to school each day. Getting whisked all across the township seems likely also to result in a situation where vocal, in-your-face parents (often with more money and/or free time to attend school board meetings) get to send their kids to the preferred elementary schools with nicer facilities, while the others get stuck with the underperforming elementary schools.
It’s almost like there was a certain amount of funding for “bussing” (back when it was taking kids from the Northern Community down to Perry or whatever southern Twp) and, now that that has been largely or completely phased out (the last bussed kids are probably in high school by now), they’ve kept the budget and used it as a sort of paratransit service within the township. School choice in name if not by law.