Why can't public school buses be used to transport kids to private schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The County is in crisis mode right now over funding education. Bus service for private schools isn't possibly on their list right now.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/11112009/montnew182201_32531.shtml

Do you think it would be a consideration if money were available?

Any and everything can be up for consideration in MoCo when funding is available. Just hit your councilmember up with the idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The bus service is already available. You just don't like where the bus stops.

exactly!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also wonder if kids at private school can get on the public school bus and get out then walk the rest of the way to the private school. There is a private school (parochial) right next door to a the public school in our hamlet. The bus would not have to change route at all. Those same private school kids should be able to get on the buses.

Liability. Huge issues with who is responsible for the kid at every point. If they're picked up, the school system is responsible for them, and can't send them off to some other location where they have no authority/responsibility for the child. Theoretically, this could be solved in individual cases ( schools adjacent, some one from other school comes to meets the child/ accepts responsibility/liability) but that opens the can of worms, why do THEY get transportation and we don't, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:pp -- you are rude. Why are you on the Private School thread if you don't have kids in private school? Those of us who send our kids to private schools still have to pay taxes - so we're subsidizing your kids to go to public.

We had the same difficult transportation issues. We are now getting sleep for the first time in 18 years (well actually our kid started private school at age 2 - so it was 16 years with no sleep.) I wish private school kids could ride the buses too (afterall we all pay for them).

My child attends a private school. So I am paying tuition AND paying taxes.

Don't assume anything b/c you come out looking like an ass.

I stand by what I said earlier. People CHOOSE to send their kids to private school. So they need to deal with some of the "inconvenient" aspects.

Quit your whining and get rid of your attitude.

[Anonymous]

I agree, MoCo doesn't have the money now. Who knows about the future, but right now a future with a fat budget is looking pretty distant, so I'm not sure it's even worth speculating about. And don't get me started on the perennial Ficker Amendment proposal to cap property taxes....

A number of private schools have buses for $1.5 K per year or so. The relatively high cost is partly due to the fact that, as somebody else pointed out, it's not like the bus is picking up a group of 10 kids like the bunch of Blair kids that are always gathered in front of our house at 6:30 am every morning, and then driving 1/2 mile further for another huge group of kids. Instead, each private school bus needs to pretty much make a sweep of a town like Silver Spring, with many locations.

Costs for a private bus can be kept down if you're willing to drive to a central location within a few miles from your house -- SSFS picks up a few blocks from us, at a central location where parents meet their kids because for some it's too far to walk. I believe St. Andrews has a bus too, but somebody could confirm or deny this.

So another issue is whether, if you got MoCo to provide bus service, would you be OK if they just picked up for your school at 1 or 2 central locations, or would you insist that they come within walking distance of your house? And what about crossing guards at intersections where they weren't previously needed for the public kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree, MoCo doesn't have the money now. Who knows about the future, but right now a future with a fat budget is looking pretty distant, so I'm not sure it's even worth speculating about. And don't get me started on the perennial Ficker Amendment proposal to cap property taxes....

A number of private schools have buses for $1.5 K per year or so. The relatively high cost is partly due to the fact that, as somebody else pointed out, it's not like the bus is picking up a group of 10 kids like the bunch of Blair kids that are always gathered in front of our house at 6:30 am every morning, and then driving 1/2 mile further for another huge group of kids. Instead, each private school bus needs to pretty much make a sweep of a town like Silver Spring, with many locations.

Costs for a private bus can be kept down if you're willing to drive to a central location within a few miles from your house -- SSFS picks up a few blocks from us, at a central location where parents meet their kids because for some it's too far to walk. I believe St. Andrews has a bus too, but somebody could confirm or deny this.

So another issue is whether, if you got MoCo to provide bus service, would you be OK if they just picked up for your school at 1 or 2 central locations, or would you insist that they come within walking distance of your house? And what about crossing guards at intersections where they weren't previously needed for the public kids?

I would be OK with one or two locations, and a small fee.

[Anonymous]

Oh you snobs who are implying you get nothing out of your tax dollars going to public school - believe it or not even the childless people have to pay taxes that go towards school. It is because we, as a society, have seen the benefits of educating our youth and know that it would be utterly dumb to leave poor kids without an education. If you need a breakdown as to why it is best for society overall to have an educated youth population, well, I don't quite have time for all that.

[Anonymous]

1. They will not allow MoCo public school buses to transport students out of the county. Your county and state tax dollars are not meant to subsidize transportation cost for schools (public or private) in D.C.

2. The public school buses are transporting a large number of children from within one neighborhood to the school. The students of any given private school would be spread out and not concentrated within neighborhoods to the point that it would not be extremely costly to run the bus.

3. If you want bus transportation, your school should work out a price deal with WMATA and Maryland transit so that your children can ride to school via public transportation for a reduced rate.

[Anonymous]

GDS and Norwood are now offering bus service to help alleviate congestion / support parents in DC.

GDS is running the service from the upper school to the lower school and Norwood from somewhere in upper NW to the school.

If you are looking for the county to provide transportation to private schools open your eyes and take a look at the cuts that schools are making. Fairfax is eliminating all day K and making it 1/2 day and Arlington is considering eliminating some of the specials at programs such as Drew, Abington as well as other schools.

[Anonymous]

If communities really believe in saving the environment and being green -- they'd find a way to work this out. They don't want to because they have the same small minds as some of the people on these posts calling each other names. Potomac does a great job of busing its kids...they don't want all of those cars in no va.

[Anonymous]

I personally send my child to a small private school because of the cost of before and aftercare at my local MoCo public school. Why give them $500 a month for 4 hrs a day when I can just pay a little more per month at least until my child is able to walk home and stay until I get there?


Why can't the private school provide bus service or at least an organized carpool?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
3. If you want bus transportation, your school should work out a price deal with WMATA and Maryland transit so that your children can ride to school via public transportation for a reduced rate.

MoCo kids used to be able to ride the Ride On buses for free. I think that was one of the budget cuts last year though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh you snobs who are implying you get nothing out of your tax dollars going to public school - believe it or not even the childless people have to pay taxes that go towards school. It is because we, as a society, have seen the benefits of educating our youth and know that it would be utterly dumb to leave poor kids without an education. If you need a breakdown as to why it is best for society overall to have an educated youth population, well, I don't quite have time for all that.

Bravo! 4-star post, PP!!! I read OP's initial post to my husband who shared your view.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh you snobs who are implying you get nothing out of your tax dollars going to public school - believe it or not even the childless people have to pay taxes that go towards school. It is because we, as a society, have seen the benefits of educating our youth and know that it would be utterly dumb to leave poor kids without an education. If you need a breakdown as to why it is best for society overall to have an educated youth population, well, I don't quite have time for all that.

Bravo! 4-star post, PP!!! I read OP's initial post to my husband who shared your view.

But if you look at places like FL, you use it, you pay for it. It is common to see neighborhoods where there are no kids, cuz the community picks up the tab for the buses. We should make public school students pay to use their own buses.

[Anonymous]

But if you look at places like FL, you use it, you pay for it. It is common to see neighborhoods where there are no kids, cuz the community picks up the tab for the buses. We should make public school students pay to use their own buses.

Yeah, and how about charging them $1.00 for each spelling test they take, too?