Skipping the school bus to save money
Categories: Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens, Money & work, Environment, Education
Riding the school bus to school has traditionally free -- except there really is no such thing as a free lunch. The funds to pay for the school bus itself, fuel, and insurance have to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is from the school's budget which is funded by taxes. So it's not really free. With diesel fuel costing more than four dollars a gallon on average, it's not even close to free these days.So, the venerable school bus may soon become a thing of the past. According to the American Association of School Administrators, more than a third of school administrators have cut back on or eliminated school bus service in order to save money. The Capistrano Unified School District in California cut two-thirds of their bus routes, putting between four and five thousand students back on the sidewalks to walk to school.
Walking to school is probably the best option all around, healthwise, environmentally, and fiscally, but that's not always going to be the choice that is -- or is able to be -- made. It's more expensive to have a whole lot of individual cars driving kids to school than a single bus -- Mike Martin of the National Association for Pupil Transportation notes that "on average, one schoolbus replaces 36 private vehicles."
For us, we have no choice but to drive my son to school -- the school is halfway across town, the nearest bus stop is nearly as far in the opposite direction, and public transit is simply not an option for a first grader in the big city.
Recent Posts
- Weekend Fun and Games (7/03/2009)
- Kids and Extracurriculars - When Do You Let Them Quit? (7/03/2009)
- Twitter Follow Friday on ParentDish! (7/03/2009)
- Lush Lashes (7/03/2009)
- Abigail Breslin Makes $13 a Week (7/03/2009)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Cell phones ok 9-11-2008 @ 11:32PM
Walking is great, except when you live in the northern part of the country and get windchills that will freeze a child's skin in less than a minute. We live a mile and a half away from my son's school and they expect him to walk. Right now it is still warm enough that it would be ok to do that, but come winter walking isn't an option. I'm just thankful I have a job that allows me the flexibility to take him and pick him up from school every day.
Reply
Sabrina 9-12-2008 @ 9:25AM
My daughter just started riding the bus this year and I was nervous, but now I love it. If I am paying school taxes much higher than the surrounding areas (which I am) and she can ride the bus, I'm happy. Especially since we live on a really really busy road and it can take 15 minutes to find an opening to get out of the driveway. AND when it gets all snowy and icy here, I suspect the bus will be safer than my van. We're really only a 7 or 8 minute drive from the school, but it's much moer convenient than waking up my younger child at 6am to get everyone ready in time. There wouldn't be any walking to school from our house unfortunately, because I do like the idea after a certain age, depending on weather.
Reply
Liam Boyle 9-12-2008 @ 5:00PM
What the heck are our school officials thinking? I'm dreading going to work this morning because of a 40% chance of rain (I ride a bicycle to work), and I'm supposed to expect my son to walk to school in all kinds of weather? Isn't that just asking for our kids to get sick? What about child predators, bullies, and other safety concerns that school buses provide some measure of protection from? How about parents who have to be at their jobs at times before kids are boarding buses? As an example of this, I have to start my job today an hour early at six and, of course there is the commute time which means to get to my job with enough time to get through security and arriving early enough I also have time to use the restroom, lock up my bike, put my lunch in the break room, get the supplies I need for the day out of my locker, sign for my equipment, and clock in on two different computer systems all so I can be on the floor and working at 06:00am I have to leave at no later than 05:15am. I also know I'm far from the only parent out there who works this kind of schedule. We need school's bus service, and need it badly.
Fortunately for me my son is still too young for school, or the public school system's preschool program. He would have needed to turn three before the 1st of October to qualify for the program this year, but his birthday isn't until November. So we wait one more year before my little one meets the big bad public school system. The local elementary school is only three blocks away so I know he will be walking, but my wife is a stay-at-home-mommy so she can accompany him to school every morning, and make certain he is dressed for the weather. Even though Kentucky is considered part of the South this place does have a winter and it does get cold. Not quite as cold as PA where I grew up or WA where my wife spent a good portion of her life, but cold nonetheless. In many families both parents work so there would not be an adult available to accompany the child to school every morning. Then there are single parents, having to deal with school age children and job schedules. School buses are a very needed thing.
From an environmental standpoint "Mike Martin of the National Association for Pupil Transportation notes that 'on average, one schoolbus replaces 36 private vehicles.' " Talk about increasing emissions. I know school's are under-funded and school boards have to look at many ways to cut costs. However, cutting back or eliminating school buses is not a wise decision in any way shape or form. As a society we need to find other ways to get our schools the money they need. We're talking about our children here, don't they deserve our best efforts?
Reply
Liam Boyle 9-12-2008 @ 5:05PM
What the heck are our school officials thinking? I'm dreading going to work this morning because of a 40% chance of rain (I ride a bicycle to work), and I'm supposed to expect my son to walk to school in all kinds of weather? Isn't that just asking for our kids to get sick? What about child predators, bullies, and other safety concerns that school buses provide some measure of protection from? How about parents who have to be at their jobs at times before kids are boarding buses? As an example of this, I have to start my job today an hour early at six and, of course there is the commute time which means to get to my job with enough time to get through security and arriving early enough I also have time to use the restroom, lock up my bike, put my lunch in the break room, get the supplies I need for the day out of my locker, sign for my equipment, and clock in on two different computer systems all so I can be on the floor and working at 06:00am I have to leave at no later than 05:15am. I also know I'm far from the only parent out there who works this kind of schedule. We need school's bus service, and need it badly.
Fortunately for me my son is still too young for school, or the public school system's preschool program. He would have needed to turn three before the 1st of October to qualify for the program this year, but his birthday isn't until November. So we wait one more year before my little one meets the big bad public school system. The local elementary school is only three blocks away so I know he will be walking, but my wife is a stay-at-home-mommy so she can accompany him to school every morning, and make certain he is dressed for the weather. Even though Kentucky is considered part of the South this place does have a winter and it does get cold. Not quite as cold as PA where I grew up or WA where my wife spent a good portion of her life, but cold nonetheless. In many families both parents work so there would not be an adult available to accompany the child to school every morning. Then there are single parents, having to deal with school age children and job schedules. School buses are a very needed thing.
From an environmental standpoint "Mike Martin of the National Association for Pupil Transportation notes that 'on average, one schoolbus replaces 36 private vehicles.' " Talk about increasing emissions. I know school's are under-funded and school boards have to look at many ways to cut costs. However, cutting back or eliminating school buses is not a wise decision in any way shape or form. As a society we need to find other ways to get our schools the money they need. We're talking about our children here, don't they deserve our best efforts?
Reply
Jennifer 9-14-2008 @ 7:56PM
Are they forgetting a safety issue??? It's so easy to nab a kid walking to and from school. Predators love this kind of thing.
And are the parents getting a tax break if their kids aren't "eligible" to ride the bus? Paying for it and not being able to use it is simply unacceptable.
I'm glad this is not an issue where I live (yet). I would one loud and angry parent.
Reply