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San Marcos parents, drivers oppose plan to cut busing
By: NOELLE IBRAHIM - Staff Writer
Layoffs for 25 drivers to be considered in April | ∞
San Marcos Middle School students board a bus along Via Vera Cruz last week.
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SAN MARCOS -- Parents and drivers say San Marcos Unified School District's recommendation to cut busing from next year's budget could be a big mistake, one they believe would increase traffic around schools and cause student safety and attendance to suffer.
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Parent Marie Dunham said last week that getting students to and from school will be difficult for parents who have children in different schools.
"Last year, I had three kids at three schools on three different schedules," Dunham said. "If it wasn't for the bus, I don't know what I would've done."
Home-to-school busing for students in kindergarten through eighth grade is among a long list of programs and personnel to be cut from the district's budget for the upcoming school year, as officials grapple with ways to reduce a projected $9 million budget deficit in 2008-09.
The district still would provide transportation for special education students, which is federally mandated, and field trips, officials said.
District officials presented $6.2 million in cost-saving recommendations, including sending pink slips to about 120 employees and eliminating programs such as busing and middle school athletics, during a special meeting last week.
The district is addressing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to slash nearly 10 percent of funding for public education from the state budget, as part of a plan to erase a revenue shortfall that some estimate to be as high as $16 billion.
"We realize it'll cause frustration and complications for families, but when the governor makes the decision that asphalt on the road is just as important as students in the classroom, these are the types of reductions we must make," Superintendent Kevin Holt said.
Chris Bertelli, spokesman for the state office of the secretary of education, said the governor's January proposal for 10 percent across-the-board cuts in all state agencies was meant to protect as many priority state programs as possible, including education, which accounts for nearly half of the state's general fund.
"If you add $4 billion to education, where do you want to cut other parts of the budget?" Bertelli said.
The governor is proposing a budget reform plan that looks at how to stop California's roller-coaster budgeting over the long term, he said.
Trimming transportation
Canceling busing would trim $1.2 million from the district's roughly $141 million projected budget for 2008-09, and would include laying off 25 bus drivers and two support employees, according to district officials in San Marcos.
Trustees are scheduled to vote on those layoffs as well as any other nonteaching employees at the board's April 14 meeting.
"I think everyone would agree that we wish we weren't in a position to have to make that decision," said board President Sharon Jenkins. "Most districts, during budgetary crises, try to keep the focus on the classroom, and transportation is away from the classroom."
Officials from other North County school districts said they already have discontinued busing or that they are considering reducing transportation.
Neither of Escondido Union's elementary nor high school districts offers home-to-school busing, and Carlsbad Unified has offered busing only for special needs students and field trips since the late 1970s.
Poway Unified, which buses students in kindergarten through 12th grade, is looking at possibly reducing transportation as well, in an attempt to trim more than $15.5 million from its current year's expected revenue of about $258.8 million, officials said.
"With cuts this size, everything is being considered," district spokeswoman Sharon Raffer said.
In addition, Bonsall Union School District trustees are set to vote Monday night on a plan to eliminate the district's kindergarten- through eighth- grade home-to-school busing in an effort to save teaching positions, said Superintendent Jeff Felix.
Jenkins said transportation is on the chopping block because it is an encroachment on the district's general fund.
"It costs us $1.2 million to transport students, beyond what we make in bus fees," she said.
Attendance may suffer
However, eliminating busing could affect attendance, and therefore district funding, by putting working parents in a bind, said Jack Miles, a bus aide who accompanies students with special medical needs.
School districts receive state funding based on average daily attendance and are docked about $45 per student for each day of absence, according to Gary Hamels, assistant superintendent of business services.
"I feel we're making a huge mistake," Miles said.
The district buses 2,700 students to and from school every day, and about 40 percent -- or 1,080 -- qualify for free transportation, based on family size and income, according to district transportation coordinator Mike Sawyer.
"That 1,080 students is your base for absences next year," said Miles, adding that those students may not have any other way of getting to school. "I do not consider busing to be a waste and, as Mr. Holt said (at a board meeting), once it's gone it won't be back."
Jenkins said the district would have to wait and see if cutting busing would lead to more absences.
However, when the district eliminated high school transportation about five years ago, it did not affect attendance, she said.
"We're hoping they'll car pool or encourage walking to school where possible," she said.
Holt said families generally want their children in school and will do anything to get them there.
"I realize it'll be an imposition and have an impact, but unfortunately, they're just going to have to figure it out," he said.
Safety questions
In addition to getting students to school, parents say safety is another concern.
Parent Dorje Browning, who spoke during last week's board meeting, questioned the safety of having elementary students walk to school, citing possible predators and increased traffic around the schools from more parents on the road.
"The pileup of cars is going to be a nightmare," said Browning, adding student safety would be jeopardized by parents stressed to get their children to school early and themselves to work on time.
A San Elijo Elementary second-grader was hit by a car near the entrance of that school just this school year, she said.
"It was really unfortunate," said San Elijo Principal Lynda McDonell.
The district hopes to increase programs on bicycle safety and organize "walking buses," in which parent volunteers walk groups of children to school, Holt said.
Bus driver Brad Pederson said during last week's meeting that he was disappointed that the district is considering cutting the safest way to school.
Yellow school buses are 172 times safer than the family automobile, eight times safer than passenger trains and four times safer than transit buses, according to the National Safety Council.
"Few things in life are more important than a student's education, but safety is one of them," said Pederson.
Contact staff writer Noelle Ibrahim at (760) 740-3517 or nibrahim@nctimes.com.
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Ask wrote on Mar 8, 2008 11:03 PM:Kinda funny, everyone always want everything for FREE!!!!!!
During these times, no one else ever comes up with things to be cut.
If you dont like it, call Arnie
Keno wrote on Mar 9, 2008 12:07 AM:Young kids can get off the city bus and walk out in the traffic and get hit.
Mom of Two wrote on Mar 9, 2008 8:55 AM:In Poway Unified, a bus pass cost $399. Not sure about San Marcos, but in Poway, once they the eliminate busing, they won't be able to get it back.
Wow wrote on Mar 9, 2008 9:03 AM:What harsh comments at the safety of our precious children. Why does the poor management of the state always come back to taking away from the Children. Maybe the govenor and staff should cut back there pay. How about taking away from the tourist base and start letting these folks pay for the vacationers. I have a brilliant idea why doesn't the state stop raising the roof on everything in this state such as property assessments so the families can send there tax dollars to education. Why doesn't he do a revenue share with the school systems. Give them half of everything taken in by the state. Yep that would keep the busses and afford new things.
To wow..... wrote on Mar 9, 2008 9:33 AM:follow this subject even closer and you will be amazed at what Arnie is doing and how the school districts have to cope with it all. This is supposed to be the year for education in California and Arnie is pushing us back to the 60' an 70's with all his budget cuts. He should be ashamed of himself. The only thing that will fix this is a writing campaign to all you legislature and state reps. Also, please folks don't sit quietly on this one, once the districts make their cuts, it will be very hard to get them back
VV wrote on Mar 9, 2008 10:19 AM:Parents should be glad that the State is doing a favor by educating their children. In no other country you will see children getting free education. We have become a society of entitlement and big government and want government to take care of our children. It is high time people are made to pay for getting their children educated. Such a policy will also discourage illegals to come to US. Free schooling, free treatment in ERs...where else in the world (apart from communist countries) will you find government playing such a prominent role. Instead of having low standard schools like in Escondido it is better we don't have any public schools at all let alone home-school busing.
sm parent wrote on Mar 9, 2008 12:27 PM:Options:
1. Carpool-come on people, someone can give your child a ride
2. Alter your personal schedule so that YOU can get YOUR own kids to school
3. Pay the actual cost of busing
4. If you have to be at work too early to transport your children, put your child in a before school program that will get them them there
There are solutions out there if you look. Will it cost you money? Probably, but the school districts can't afford this hand-out. Be responsible for your own children and find a workable solution.
Tuck wrote on Mar 9, 2008 1:49 PM:Some observations and thoughts:
1. It is not the school’s job to get children to school.
2. Obviously the drivers are against this. They are very biased.
3. The school will save $1.200M when they cut this. This should have been cut years ago and that money pumped into the classroom.
4. It is not the school’s job to worry about traffic. Is the “roads” department concerned with test scores?
Dave wrote on Mar 9, 2008 2:11 PM:As someone with no kids, I think this is idiotic. It just will make traffic that much worse for everyone. If you complain about traffic in San Marcos now, just wait until there's 10 or 20 times as many vehicles moving kids to and from school as well. I'm happy to pay my part to get a bunch of cars off the road.
Fed Up wrote on Mar 9, 2008 7:10 PM:This is all about fat in the schools. It scares me that they found 6+3 million in cuts without even trying - says to me there's plenty more. SMUSD - why not give the parents a list of things you're spending money on - let us vote on what's important and what's not. I guarantee you'll have a surplus of funds even with the rampant teacher unions and overpaid employees (don't say I'm wrong... look at your hourly wage based on how many hours you have to be at work each year). Oh, and by the way - SELL THE BUSES!!! Keep a minimum for field trips or whatever but I bet you could cut most of them, most of the maint. staff, lease out the parking lot at the yard for RV storage or something at a profit - come on you public-sector employees - try running the district like a business for a change.
Reardon wrote on Mar 9, 2008 8:45 PM:Has anyone noticed how many children get to their piano lessons, Little League and Pop Warner without school buses? Right! Parents can get their children to many places without school buses! Right now, our schools rank 48th in academics, but the teachers rank #1 in pay! There is a lot wrong in a system that transports, feeds, showers, and exercises, but can't teach the basics.
Umm.. wrote on Mar 9, 2008 8:54 PM:When I went to elementary and jr. high school, if you didn't ride a bus you walked or used a bike.
Nowadays no kids walk to school it seems. I can tell, I live right next to a jr. high, across the street from an elementary school. When the jr. high gets out, I see less than one bus load of kids walking away, further than all the soccer moms and hummers queued up .. most of which pick up ONE kid. Traffic just absolutely sucks. When I went to the SAME school 25 years ago, it was NOT like this at all. I used to walk over two miles to the same school before I moved next to it. The 'first' time OUSD cut out all busses about 12 years ago, it got bad all of a sudden and it's not changed since.
Reardon wrote on Mar 9, 2008 9:54 PM:Children who walk/run/bike/skate to school, don't need taxpayer-built gyms/running tracks/exercise rooms. Taxpayers win on both ends!
former SMUSD student wrote on Mar 10, 2008 9:55 AM:I grew up in San Marcos and graduated from San Marcos high school.
San Marcos high cut bussing the year before I entered there and while my sister was still attending. My mother struggled with two jobs and became even more burdened with taking us to school every day. In order to adjust to the annoying bus cuts, she had to drop us off extra early in order to still make it to work on time. My sister, who was less studious than I, took this opportunity to ditch school practically every day. For the board to say that cuts in bussing won’t affect attendance is an ignorant oversight of the consequences of bus cuts.
I’m not saying that middle school kids will ditch school prevalently, but, to be sure, parents who do not have the time or resources to get their kids to school everyday simply won’t. It will be too difficult for some parents (especially families with two working parents) to get their kids to school, so leaving the kids home will be easier. However, the parents will still be responsible for the attendance of their students. Forget the money that the ill-ran schools will lose because of an attendance drop, what about the EDUCATION that the students will be missing out on because it’s difficult just to get to their darn school?!?
SMUSD seems determined to make it impossible to support them. They will cut bussing for our students, but crack down on parents who struggle to get their students into class every day. Maybe the deficit wouldn’t be so severe if we weren’t wasting money on Superintendents that get fired after ONE year. We paid Ed Brand $200,000 for his annual salary and then paid a whopping $400,000 to buy out the rest of his contract. That’s a staggering $600,000 for one year. Good job, Bancells and Horacek.
I am sad to see what my old school district has become. SMUSD is a horribly ran school district and San Marcos High is a horribly ran high school (what happened to The Mark?). If I had children, I would move!
Wow wrote on Mar 10, 2008 4:28 PM:I was raised in San Marcos and I can tell you we either walked or rode the bus. Most of the time we were on the bus. I am shocked at how poorly San Marcos is ran. All the folks saying let the kids walk to school are to blame for the poor situation the county is in. If they would attend some of the meetings with there smart wits and help get the school board out of the same mistakes over and over again they could afford the busses. You might say let the kids walk but when the first child dies walking to school because you didn't see them coming out between two cars and it happened so quickly you will change your mind and be wishing they were on a school bus.
I am so glad I moved. Remember you were a child once how is it that you got to ride a bus. Thank God you had parents that cared enough to attend the School Board meetings to fight for your right to a education.
Cindy wrote on Mar 10, 2008 8:37 PM:Wake up California, we do need to cut the fat in our spending, however, cutting transportation for our children is not where we should start. If we cut free breakfast and lunches that maybe your not aware the state pays our schools more for our free meal program than the paying student. We already as a state give these unfortunate children financial aide along with health care and food stamps there parents can make them a lunch and breakfast. Lets talk about the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND this in my opinion is a program that should be relooked at and evaluated. You are transporting children for free some of which are so impaired they are oblivious to there surroundings any way ( please know I do not mean any disrespect for these children and parents). I personally know parents of children with disabilities that are financially able to either pay transportation or pay a driver but, we are not even examining there financial status we are just funding this program for these services no matter what. I have a real problem with this so called organized parent (walk your child to school) is the district going to fund the back ground checks of these volunteers. We care so little for our children in this country that we allow parents to volunteer in our class rooms on field trips ect.. and we have no idea if these parents are criminals, pedophiles or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. I feel we should take a GOOD LOOK at the pay scale of alot of our administrators and start cutting expenses there first. Where is the world is our lottery fund going I have seen more programs cut since the lottery and I thought the lottery money was going to help pay for programs (not salaries) Lets take a look at the spending going on building these new schools with all the glitter and glamour our children don't need all the glamour they need qualified teachers and qualified programs to help them succeed in life. What happened to teaching them a trade there are children that are not college material that given an opportunity, they could and would learn a trede. I graduated from SMUSD I am very disappointed in the out come of our district and state that is exactly why I have home schooled my youngest son.
Single Mom wrote on May 29, 2008 8:34 AM:I grew up in San Marcos and to be honest as soon as I was old enough I started to ride my bike to school. What about my eight year old daughter? She is too young to ride her bike and there are no other kids in elementary school in our area. I am a single mom who actually pays the $400 dollars for the bus passes. I am not trying to put the responsibility of my children on someone else. If necessary raise the prices but don't make it impossible for me to support my children. Isn't this sending a message that it would be easier for working parents to stay home and collect welfare than to go to work and set an example for their children? Plus be honest there are parents out there who don't take or have the time (whatever) to worry about such things. Do you honestly think that if left up to the child they would wake up earlier to walk to school. Or do you think that for the most part kids are going to say "I'm too tired I'm not going to school today?" Also it has been publicly anounced that there will be no busing. So more children will be walking or riding their bikes to school. Do you think that this news does not please all the child predators in the area? For them it would be like shooting fish in a barrel.
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