From the NY Post:The city and state fork over a staggering $1 billion a year to move schoolkids on yellow buses, while stiffing the MTA on its student MetroCard program -- which is far less expensive and significantly more efficient.
In fact, while MetroCards help move four times as many students at one-fifth of the cost of school buses, MTA officials say they have to cancel the program because city and state officials won't pay for its increasing expenses.
The agency said it spends about $214 million to transport 585,000 students for free every year, with the city and state putting in only $45 million and $25 million respectively.
Meanwhile, the Education Department's $1 billion school-bus program moves only about 140,000 students, city statistics show.
That's $786 million more for 445,000 fewer students.
But city officials insist that money can't be taken from one group and given to the other.
"Busing requirements are set by state law. The city does not have the option of using busing money to fund MetroCards," said one mayoral aide.
The DOE determines who is eligible for both yellow bus and free MTA services.
And, of course, there is nothing political involved in that! After all, the more kids you deem eligible for yellow school buses, the more it helps tweeding efforts. And the further away you build the schools from where the kids who attend them live, the more school buses you will need.
25 comments:
one billion a year for 140,000 students? that is about 45 dollars a day (165 school days) for each kid. wth? The Fung Wah buses takes people to boston for $10 dollars. What the hell is wrong with this picture? Bloomberg is such a failure
since 1987,(23 years),C.S.D.25 has been busing 300(K-3 grade pupils) from Flushing ,Main Street to Bayside's
P.S.130Q. at the same time the local residents pupils ,who live across the street from the building,are bused away one mile to C.S.D 26 schools.
your tax dollars being wasted,when pupils could walk to school.
P.S 130 Q. is located at F. Lewis Blvd./42nd avenue.
25 buses transport about 40-50 special ed. pupils to the first floor,10 rooms,of the building. 42nd ave. has become a two lane bus terminal 180 days /year, for 23 years.motorists can not exit the area at 8 am and 2:30 PM each day.the L.I.R.R. & Clearview Exp. surrounds the area.
real crap, an excellent post for Q.C. the once grass medians have been destroyed by the many buses.
Free? I though the kid were paying for rides to school like Catholic school children do?
That now make a lot sense as why the local illegal kids around here are all picked up to go 2 blocks to school? The Chinese stay at home mothers figured out they don't need to walk their kid to school!
Look at the ridership on buses in Elmhurst - they are 75% Chinese!
Take away the yellow school buses and parents will HOME SCHOOL.
Young children do NOT belong on city buses where they are vulnerable to predators and bullies!
"Babs said...
Take away the yellow school buses and parents will HOME SCHOOL.
Young children do NOT belong on city buses where they are vulnerable to predators and bullies!"
I agree completely, Even with older student busing can be justified.
About 7 years ago one of our manager's daughters was accepted to Bronx Science and even though they lived in Bay Terrace the DoE sent a yellow bus to pick her up and return her. She often stayed for extra curricular activities and there was a later bus for that too.
She is now in Med school and planning to be a doctor working for poor people here in NYC.
If there is a scandal here it is how and to whom these bus contracts are awarded.
BTW: Why are we the only school system with "custodians" -easily 150M/yr wasted there...
Answer: Raw union power and scared pols.
Like spending millions on bike lanes for a few thousand Tower People and cutting back on subways for millions of regular New Yorkers?
Anyone want to discuss this?
we can save money by not sending 'tards to school.
They don't learn. If they do, it wont be used for anything useful. Most of them die early. And all they do is disturb the normal kids in class/school.
You're forgetting that the new purpose of school is to be a babysitter.
Lino - and I agree with you.
Neighborhood schools -- what a concept! Years ago you grew up with your friends from school and kids on your block and your neighborhood was tight and people worked together. People took pride in their neighborhoods. Now, kids are scattered all over the city, are late for school and never know their neighbors or care where they live. Let's rethink this and save millions on busing. It's too expensive in a city where costs are out of control.
re:Babs,do you agree with the DOE that 11 year old ,6th grade pupils should be mixed with 16-18 year old high school pupils?
see I.S.25,now also World School of Journalism,at F.Lewis Blvd./Crocheron Ave.,Flushing,Bayside,Queens.
the 6th grades in C.S.D. 26 have been moved into the Middle School buildings. the elementary schools were overcrowded with bused in illegal alien's kids.
the parents of Bayside,Flushing,(for some reason) opted to bypass the 7th & 8th grade local M.S.'s for private education.
you and Lino ,the lib are in the minority ,as usual.
Anonymous - I am not raising kids at this point of my life so I am not up on what is going on in our public schools.
No - I do not think 6th graders should be attending the same school with kids much older than they are.
I can only sympathize with today's young parents -
Years ago you went to school from kindergarten to 8th grade. Then you went to 4 years of high school. Schools were supervised and the upper grades were on the higher floors and were pretty much separated from the little ones. Once in awhile, kids in the upper grades would read to the younger ones for credit. There were never any problems and the neighborhood kids were all schooled under one roof. There was very little busing and the communities were kept intact and harmonious.
Yup, and most in Northern Queens will soon be seen in Maspeth.
Wait till Bloomberg builds that new ESL school
the new (k-8) school buildings are only for the "chosen" communities. the pupils do not have to mix.
e.g,P.S.169,Bay Terrace, C.S.D.25, T.Staviskey and P.S.178,Hollis Hills,C.S.D. 26,the Weprins.
I am talking about lazy parents whose students need to walk 2 blocks to school, instead take the bus because Mom is too busy looking into garbage bags on the block to collect cans to make a living. Kids are a byproduct of her existence and the government is now charged for caring of her kids.
No husband in sight, she makes little tips for being close or friendly with delivery boys who bunk in shifts in the dining room.
As an illegal her only hope are her kids born here giving potential future legalization of herself so that she can free herself of fending for herself and getting on the dole.
Yup, and most in Northern Queens will soon be seen in Maspeth.
Wait till Bloomberg builds that new ESL school
anonymous, you seem to know something.. why keep your name a secret..please do tell! first of all we can't bring in more we're already flooded, plus we're getting a high school. do you work for Liz Crowley who is possibly behind this. IS73 has children already coming in from Corona and the extention on this school can not be for K-8 what parent wants their children around middle school kids that are out of control. GO back to Liz and tell her stop the bull shit already.
Actually, high schools don't use yellow school buses except for special ed.
Crappy said - "Actually, high schools don't use yellow school buses except for special ed."
So who exactly is being bused and why?
Special Ed of course . . . AND . . .
And kids in grammar school.
Queens Crapper said -
"And kids in grammar school."
so what IS the problem then?
Small children MUST be kept SAFE -
The problem is they are busing kids out of their communities to go to school when many of them could walk to a nearby one. That is wasteful.
Crowley is whoring for Hispanic votes. Schools, Bussing.
Its not fair to those people in Maspeth who have young kids and pay big taxes to have more unruly disruptive brats from Corona, Jack Heights pushed on them at gunpoint.
Their kids are getting screwed royally
Special Ed, ESL is stealth for baby sitting services for children of Illegels.
Its bullshit, take away these free loading criminals services till they use birth control implants. or 2 kick them the f*ck out outta the country.
That's the solution, not more schools, services and busses.
When this city go bankrupt its gonna be like places in Argentina were millions of teenagers with no money no future roam the streets like Woolf packs preying on everybody else for money
Crappy said: "The problem is they are busing kids out of their communities to go to school when many of them could walk to a nearby one. That is wasteful."
I agree - and I would be very angry too if I were a parent and my kid was made to go out of the neighborhood, but IF - and only IF - I lived in a good neighborhood where the public schools were decent - otherwise, I would be grateful.
P.S.130Q accepts students from C.S.D.26. The residents who live close to the school should come into the school office and fill out an application.
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