AAP center transportation : is sharing economy an option?

[Anonymous]

So, all these discussions about potential center closure and just shifting to all LLIV got me thinking that we might reduce educational opportunities for some students just because we can't solve for transportation.

Now, I'd like to limit this thread only to areas where the center feeder schools have fewer than 10 identified students per grade, and no LLIV in base school. My daughter's school is like that. They had 5 kids identified, and these kids are thriving at the center, and I know that both socially and academically my daughter gets the experiences she needs. I'm sorry if someone else is upset with that and thinks their child is not getting something, but being in school with 70+ other kids like her per grade (including socially awkward kids like her) and not with only 4 other ones is really good for her. I still can't understand how creating LLIV in the base school for these 5 students is cheaper, even if you pull kids from other classrooms (and about 30 percent of kids in base school are not English proficient but that's another story).

Anyway, the bus already takes 1 hour to ride home in the afternoon, so we have a car pool going with neighborhood parents in the afternoon... Requires some coordination -- especially with meeting the bus from base school and then kids being sick, but we manage. There are about 2-3 carpools from the center to our subdivision. Helps everyone.

Also, as an IT person, I know that developing an app like Uber but free that can allow parents to join neighborhood carpools and communicate illnesses/changes better is not that hard. If there is someone from disadvantage background who can not contribute to rides, I'm sure that other parents won't mind pi tching in and helping out that family. If someone has more income but can't contribute to rides, well they won't mind paying. With right technology it can be coordinated, and maybe FCPS can pitch for the "guaranteed ride home" or something of sorts for much less that nit spends on transportation to centers. At worse, a carpool can be arranged from each base school to the center.

Obviously, things like background checks, drivers license record check, and insurance need to be worked out...

But in general, if you are an AAP parent with a child where base school doesn't have LLIV, do you think a system ala "free uber carpool" can work to provide 100 % of traspotation needs for your center? Would you contribute (either through rides or financially) and be able to fully commit to it? Would you be willing to help more disadvantage families to cover their transportation needs? I don't think legally FCPS can rely on options that don't guarantee every identified child access to AAP including a ride to school, but you know it takes a village, and all this sharing economies are booming, so are we not thinking about all the options?

Just curious if other parents think it is remotely an option.

[Anonymous]

No. I don't think peopke would want to car pool with people who aren't contributing. Also, for many, car pooling is not an option b/c parents work past pick up time.

We may be in your center...if there is no busing, we probably wouldn't do it. But I think centers like ours probably wouldn't be defunded. The base school needs us and we like having the center.

[Anonymous]

In a school like your child's where they have only 5 kids, they won't have local level IV and FCPS will provide transportation to the center. There will be no need to carpool.

[Anonymous]

My question - if bussing is eliminated to centers why can't I pay a fee for the bus? It would create a number of logistical issues for me if the bus is eliminated. I would be willing to pay a fee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My question - if bussing is eliminated to centers why can't I pay a fee for the bus? It would create a number of logistical issues for me if the bus is eliminated. I would be willing to pay a fee.

State law prohibits it. Change that law and then you could.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My question - if bussing is eliminated to centers why can't I pay a fee for the bus? It would create a number of logistical issues for me if the bus is eliminated. I would be willing to pay a fee.

Is your child at a school with local Level IV? If all the qualified kids from your child's school stays at your base school because centers in your area are eliminated, why would that bother you? I can see being concerned when some kids go to the center and so you don't have as many kids, but if they all stay I would think it would be as good as being at the center.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My question - if bussing is eliminated to centers why can't I pay a fee for the bus? It would create a number of logistical issues for me if the bus is eliminated. I would be willing to pay a fee.

If this became the situation I bet you would find some entrepreneur who sets up private bus lines for this. Like uber for kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question - if bussing is eliminated to centers why can't I pay a fee for the bus? It would create a number of logistical issues for me if the bus is eliminated. I would be willing to pay a fee.

If this became the situation I bet you would find some entrepreneur who sets up private bus lines for this. Like uber for kids.

I would think they would eliminate the center option (except for grandfathering some kids) when they eliminate busing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question - if bussing is eliminated to centers why can't I pay a fee for the bus? It would create a number of logistical issues for me if the bus is eliminated. I would be willing to pay a fee.

If this became the situation I bet you would find some entrepreneur who sets up private bus lines for this. Like uber for kids.

I would think they would eliminate the center option (except for grandfathering some kids) when they eliminate busing.

Maybe some kids are grandfathered in until they graduate if they can provide transportation? Don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question - if busing is eliminated to centers why can't I pay a fee for the bus? It would create a number of logistical issues for me if the bus is eliminated. I would be willing to pay a fee.

Is your child at a school with local Level IV? If all the qualified kids from your child's school stays at your base school because centers in your area are eliminated, why would that bother you? I can see being concerned when some kids go to the center and so you don't have as many kids, but if they all stay I would think it would be as good as being at the center.

actually, I more or less totally agree - if you have a critical mass with local level IV I think that would be fine - in my case, however, my child does go to a center already - our school started local level IV the year my child started at the center - it's true that we could have stayed at the base school but we didn't because we realized that the majority of other kids were going to the center (including all of my child's friends) so, at least for the first year, there were only a few kids in the program such as it was, and I understand it was rather disjointed (a very small group of kids moving around between classes to get the right differentiation - we are also an immersion school which complicates matters and I believe the local level IV was primarily designed so that the immersion kids could stay and do local level IV while still doing immersion - my child did not do immersion, ironically if immersion is eliminated, I think it would strengthen the local level IV program at the school)

my assumption is that even if centers are eliminated my child would be grandfathered in and allowed to remain at the center, but possibly with no bus - that's what I would prefer because my child loves the school and is very happy and I would tend to think most peers would remain if given the option

I actually have no problems with changes to the AAP program, but I wish it was not being considered in the midst of the budget debate in such a hasty manner - if you read this board with not a lot of information about the budget situation you would think the only thing standing in the way of balancing the budget is AAP, or even just busing to AAP centers, when, in fact, AAP is at most a few million out of a $50 million or $75 million budget hole. Frankly, when I read this board, I get the sense that the anti-AAP contingent is rather gleeful about this budget situation because it provides an opportunity to go after AAP. I think that is really shortsighted because a lot of programs and services for all students are really on the line given the size of this deficit.

I did the budget tool online and got to $50 million in cuts without touching AAP. I did roll back the later high school start times. I agree with that initiative in theory, but I think it was very irresponsible of the county to make that change knowing that these budget issues were looming. I also cut things that I felt were least likely to alter the school experience for kids or hurt teachers - I can't recall all the things I cut, but I know there were some things like full time athletic trainers in the high schools and so forth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question - if bussing is eliminated to centers why can't I pay a fee for the bus? It would create a number of logistical issues for me if the bus is eliminated. I would be willing to pay a fee.

Is your child at a school with local Level IV? If all the qualified kids from your child's school stays at your base school because centers in your area are eliminated, why would that bother you? I can see being concerned when some kids go to the center and so you don't have as many kids, but if they all stay I would think it would be as good as being at the center.

I'm not OP. But it seems you missed a key item in her post: Her child's base school does NOT have any AAP local level IV to offer students.

Plus there were only five kids at the base who qualified for AAP at all. That means the base school lacks enough students to form any AAP classroom even if there were level IV available. The school would end up cobbling together classes or trying to differentiate instruction for those five kids or... all the things that OP quite rightly notes don't make sense for that school.

OP, our base was just like yours: Fewer than 10 kids qualified in my child's second grade year and there was no level IV possible at the base. Not even level III (at that time) due to the nature of the school (focus was on a lot of students who needed a lot of academic help, not on trying to bring in more AAP levels for the few kids who qualified for them). The principal made the requisite pitch for us all to stay at the base and get AAP via once a week pull-out classes-- but teachers at the base school privately told parents to get our kids out to the center school.

As for the ride-sharing app, go for it, if it makes life easier. I bet you could find takers! Bear in mind too that there is a middle school audience for this app as well since there are MS AAP centers and those students also would lose bussing under the proposals now on the table.

There might even be a high school audience; kids who make an academic transfer to a high school different from their assigned base are not entitled to bussing right now, and some of those families might be seeking ride-sharing--though the group of students in that boat is far, far smaller than the groups of elementary or MS AAP center kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did the budget tool online and got to $50 million in cuts without touching AAP. I did roll back the later high school start times. I agree with that initiative in theory, but I think it was very irresponsible of the county to make that change knowing that these budget issues were looming.

The Superintendent has stated and at least a few School Board members have hinted that the proposal to roll back the later start times is off the table in terms of the budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question - if bussing is eliminated to centers why can't I pay a fee for the bus? It would create a number of logistical issues for me if the bus is eliminated. I would be willing to pay a fee.

Is your child at a school with local Level IV? If all the qualified kids from your child's school stays at your base school because centers in your area are eliminated, why would that bother you? I can see being concerned when some kids go to the center and so you don't have as many kids, but if they all stay I would think it would be as good as being at the center.

I'm not OP. But it seems you missed a key item in her post: Her child's base school does NOT have any AAP local level IV to offer students.

Plus there were only five kids at the base who qualified for AAP at all. That means the base school lacks enough students to form any AAP classroom even if there were level IV available. The school would end up cobbling together classes or trying to differentiate instruction for those five kids or... all the things that OP quite rightly notes don't make sense for that school.

OP, our base was just like yours: Fewer than 10 kids qualified in my child's second grade year and there was no level IV possible at the base. Not even level III (at that time) due to the nature of the school (focus was on a lot of students who needed a lot of academic help, not on trying to bring in more AAP levels for the few kids who qualified for them). The principal made the requisite pitch for us all to stay at the base and get AAP via once a week pull-out classes-- but teachers at the base school privately told parents to get our kids out to the center school.

As for the ride-sharing app, go for it, if it makes life easier. I bet you could find takers! Bear in mind too that there is a middle school audience for this app as well since there are MS AAP centers and those students also would lose bussing under the proposals now on the table.

There might even be a high school audience; kids who make an academic transfer to a high school different from their assigned base are not entitled to bussing right now, and some of those families might be seeking ride-sharing--though the group of students in that boat is far, far smaller than the groups of elementary or MS AAP center kids.

If you don't like your base school go buy in a more expensive neighborhood duh

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question - if bussing is eliminated to centers why can't I pay a fee for the bus? It would create a number of logistical issues for me if the bus is eliminated. I would be willing to pay a fee.

Is your child at a school with local Level IV? If all the qualified kids from your child's school stays at your base school because centers in your area are eliminated, why would that bother you? I can see being concerned when some kids go to the center and so you don't have as many kids, but if they all stay I would think it would be as good as being at the center.

I'm not OP. But it seems you missed a key item in her post: Her child's base school does NOT have any AAP local level IV to offer students.

Plus there were only five kids at the base who qualified for AAP at all. That means the base school lacks enough students to form any AAP classroom even if there were level IV available. The school would end up cobbling together classes or trying to differentiate instruction for those five kids or... all the things that OP quite rightly notes don't make sense for that school.

OP, our base was just like yours: Fewer than 10 kids qualified in my child's second grade year and there was no level IV possible at the base. Not even level III (at that time) due to the nature of the school (focus was on a lot of students who needed a lot of academic help, not on trying to bring in more AAP levels for the few kids who qualified for them). The principal made the requisite pitch for us all to stay at the base and get AAP via once a week pull-out classes-- but teachers at the base school privately told parents to get our kids out to the center school.

As for the ride-sharing app, go for it, if it makes life easier. I bet you could find takers! Bear in mind too that there is a middle school audience for this app as well since there are MS AAP centers and those students also would lose bussing under the proposals now on the table.

There might even be a high school audience; kids who make an academic transfer to a high school different from their assigned base are not entitled to bussing right now, and some of those families might be seeking ride-sharing--though the group of students in that boat is far, far smaller than the groups of elementary or MS AAP center kids.

Interestingly, MS AAP busing is not on the table. Probably because only Thoreau, Franklin & Cooper are LLIV and there is very little $$ at issue. And Thoreau needs to finish renovations before they can take more kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question - if busing is eliminated to centers why can't I pay a fee for the bus? It would create a number of logistical issues for me if the bus is eliminated. I would be willing to pay a fee.

Is your child at a school with local Level IV? If all the qualified kids from your child's school stays at your base school because centers in your area are eliminated, why would that bother you? I can see being concerned when some kids go to the center and so you don't have as many kids, but if they all stay I would think it would be as good as being at the center.

actually, I more or less totally agree - if you have a critical mass with local level IV I think that would be fine - in my case, however, my child does go to a center already - our school started local level IV the year my child started at the center - it's true that we could have stayed at the base school but we didn't because we realized that the majority of other kids were going to the center (including all of my child's friends) so, at least for the first year, there were only a few kids in the program such as it was, and I understand it was rather disjointed (a very small group of kids moving around between classes to get the right differentiation - we are also an immersion school which complicates matters and I believe the local level IV was primarily designed so that the immersion kids could stay and do local level IV while still doing immersion - my child did not do immersion, ironically if immersion is eliminated, I think it would strengthen the local level IV program at the school)

my assumption is that even if centers are eliminated my child would be grandfathered in and allowed to remain at the center, but possibly with no bus - that's what I would prefer because my child loves the school and is very happy and I would tend to think most peers would remain if given the option

I actually have no problems with changes to the AAP program, but I wish it was not being considered in the midst of the budget debate in such a hasty manner - if you read this board with not a lot of information about the budget situation you would think the only thing standing in the way of balancing the budget is AAP, or even just busing to AAP centers, when, in fact, AAP is at most a few million out of a $50 million or $75 million budget hole. Frankly, when I read this board, I get the sense that the anti-AAP contingent is rather gleeful about this budget situation because it provides an opportunity to go after AAP. I think that is really shortsighted because a lot of programs and services for all students are really on the line given the size of this deficit.

I did the budget tool online and got to $50 million in cuts without touching AAP. I did roll back the later high school start times. I agree with that initiative in theory, but I think it was very irresponsible of the county to make that change knowing that these budget issues were looming. I also cut things that I felt were least likely to alter the school experience for kids or hurt teachers - I can't recall all the things I cut, but I know there were some things like full time athletic trainers in the high schools and so forth.

You do realize that in doing that budget tool, you probably eliminated things that were important to other families and/or employees, if not to you? AAP may be your pet issue, but it sure isn't mine or many others'. We all have things that are important to us and that we see as critical to our children. AAP is nowhere near the top of my list. I consider later start times for high schoolers (and hopefully middle schoolers) as one of the most important issues for FCPS to fund. Just keep in mind that your priorities are not everyone else's.