What's up with the school buses?

I had a meeting at the middle school this morning, and I was leaving around the time that most of the kids were arriving.

Actually, the building was packed with kids, the ones who arrived by bus.  Out front, though, was a long line of cars dropping kids off in ones and twos.  Each child would dutifully wait until the parent's car pulled to the front of the line before getting out.  I saw no child get out of a car more than twenty feet from the front door, and there was a line of cars spilling out onto Manheim.

I assume that this is a daily occurrence.  I don't get to the middle school all that often, so it was new to me.  It makes me wonder, though, what the problem is with the buses that so many parents drive their kids to school.  I have some theories:

• The walk from the bus area is too far.  This is possible, since no child was traveling as much as fifty feet from car to door.
• Bullying happens on buses.  I know it did when I was a kid.
• The time on the bus is too long from some parents (or children).

Beyond that, I have no clue.  Are there any driving parents who can tell me why they do it?  It seems like it adds a lot of time to an adult's morning routine, adds even more pollution from idling engines, and doesn't utilize buses that the district has to run anyway.  Are one or more of my guesses correct?  Is there another reason?

Busing a rhyme

I can't really weigh in on the question of transporting our kids to school without admitting that I have already been hammered for wanting to "hammer on" this issue.  That was the phrase that I used when I I sent a Facebook message on the subject to the three school board members who are my friends there (luckily another board member quietly defriended me after my call for transparency during his last reelection campaign; I'd hate to risk a violation of the open meetings law), and one of those friends took exception to the phrase.

I'm not a musician, but I think that "hammer on" is a way to create a sustained note through continuous pressure on a guitar string.  My board member friend, I fear, anticipated an approach much more aggressive and nasty.  I can't say I can blame anyone on the board for such a reaction; in New Paltz it's rare to find someone who is willing to debate using truth and logic instead of passion and half-truths.  In addition, I'm no stranger to passionately arguing for a position I care about.  Hopefully I've learned my lesson.

Now, about those school buses

I've been following a local school bus strike threat for the Shawangunk Journal, and it's quite amazing what I have learned.  New Paltz drivers start at $22.90 an hour, while Rondout Valley pays about $23 an hour for its bus contractor.  RV's drivers are considering a strike because they make so little, but as it stands now the districts which privately contract are paying a rate per hour that is comparable to our local driver hourly rate.

How much should busing really cost?

Keep in mind, the hourly rate in New Paltz doesn't include sick time, vacation, retirement, vehicle procurement or maintenance.  We voted down a new school bus proposal just last year, and privatizing busing is one of many options the board is going to consider to resolve the insane budgeting problems they face.

I've had people tell me that they would not feel comfortable with contract drivers. This is an emotional argument, and I sincerely hope no board member dares consider it.  I want facts, and only facts, to make this decision.  Facts might include:

• The way that private companies are regulated by the state in comparison to how the district is regulated
• Documented records of safety and screwups.
• A comparison of how often private companies need to send in a substitute unfamiliar with the route versus how often the district needs to do so.
• An analysis of transportation times, both overall and with a substitute at the wheel.
• A comparison of background check requirements.

Starting now, and going forward, I am going to sound a note for privatizing our busing.  Unless strong evidence is presented to show that we really need to be spending three, four, or more times what neighboring districts do for their busing (Rondout Valley privatized 19 years ago, and so far their biggest problem is the threat that three drivers will strike), I am going to continue to keep hammering on that note until I am heard.  Short of consolidating districts (which is outside the scope of this post), I can see no more effective way to save tons of money with very little downside.