Mamaroneck parents with children in private schools are blasting a plan to save $150,000 for the district next year by having about 100 sixth- through 12th-graders switch to public transportation. The school board has not made any decisions, but heard a recommendation from Superintendent Robert Shaps to save a total of $700,000 by making that change and by fully outsourcing school-bus service.
Criticism at Tuesday’s board session centered on the logistics and safety of moving children off district bus routes, and the minimal savings that would result. No parent, said one speaker, would let a 12-year-old ride a public bus or train alone. The change would apply to students at six private schools, listed in today’s Journal News story: the French American School, German School of New York, Rye Country Day School, School of the Holy Child, Iona Preparatory School and the Ursuline School.
Larry Farkas accused the school district of treating children like “packages on a UPS truck.” His own children and grandchildren attended public schools, but he said he spoke in defense of taxpayers who send their children to private schools. With the means to afford private school tuition, they tend to be the higher-paying property owners in town, he said.
Margaret Kaufer, who has two children at the German School and three in public schools, said the impact would go beyond grades 6-12, as routes would be adjusted for younger kids. The change would put more cars on the road, making it less safe for children walking to school, she said. And she questioned how well students would be able to learn, after a bus/train journey of up to two hours each way. “I implore you to consider the educational impact of this decision,” she said.
One board member, Linnet Tse, commented that although the savings would be a tiny fraction of the budget, the plan is part of efforts to stay within the tax-levy cap, which allows Mamaroneck about a $2 million spending increase. Board President Robin Nichinsky responded to a comment that the board was being “cavalier,” saying the panel was listening carefully to the comments.
CSEA union members also turned out to protest the idea of fully outsourcing bus service. The district says it will cost about $2 million over the next 10 years to maintain its own fleet. Shaps emphasized that safety was a top priority and that the district would keep its own mechanic and dispatcher on staff. Union spokeswoman Jessica Ladlee raised doubts, saying, “The transportation of your children, it’s not something you want to bargain-shop.”
The post Mamaroneck hears from private-school parents over possible bus cuts appeared first on Sound Shore.
