Walk that way
Dec 30, 2009 |
Do you walk three miles to and from work everyday? Would you expect a 7-year-old to?
That dark scenario is nearing reality as lawmakers struggle to balance the state budget. Transportation to and from school, yet another vital aspect of our youth’s education, is on the chopping block, and it’s all going down rather fast. The Board of Education announced December 4 that it would eliminate the bus services for the state’s 40,000 riders as of April 1, 2010, adding another hardship to families already dealing with furlough days.
Many feel that schooling has already taken a blow with those furloughs, and yet with many cuts and compromises already made, the BOE is still short on money. It would be impossible for further sacrifices to not be dramatic, given that funding has been slashed from all facets of the public education budget.
The school bus system costs money–the contract bid for 2009–2010 is $72 million for the entire state.
About two weeks after the state’s announcement, opposition to the school bus cuts had coalesced into a movement organized by the Hawaii School Bus Association, a lobbying group for bus companies.
Shawn Ching, an HSBA spokesperson, nevertheless described the movement as grassroots, and had two big boxes of petitions signed by community members to prove it.
The other side of the coin is the jobs that will be impacted by the cut: the HSBA is comprised of 10 school bus service companies, and according to Ching, about 1,400 employees will be affected by the contract termination. Keep in mind that parents already have to purchase passes for their kids to utilize bus services.
