POWAY: Students return to classes, without buses at many schools
District is the first of many to cut services this year
By SHAYNA CHABNER - Staff Writer | ∞
Canyon View Elementary School students and their parents make their way across the parking lot as a line of cars wait to get onto school property for the first day of school on Tuesday. (Photo by Don Boomer - Staff Photographer) POWAY ---- Parents parked their cars along winding residential streets, squeezed illegally into vacant spots beside red curbs and escorted hundreds of students from nearby homes and drop-off spots Tuesday.
It was the first day of school for roughly 33,000 students in the Poway Unified School District and the scene ---- congestion, honking horns and headaches ---- was typical, many parents, students and administrators said.
But for several thousand kids and their parents the school traffic is a new, added inconvenience, as they grapple with the elimination of most elementary school busing and a handful of middle and high school routes for the first time this fall.
"You just have to take a deep breath and relax," said Lori Yocum, a single-working mother who had to drop off both her Rancho Bernardo High freshman and Bernardo Heights Middle School sixth-grader for the first time. "The traffic will be more difficult for parents."
Yocum is among the thousands of Poway Unified parents that lost home-to-school bus transportation for their kids when the district's school board eliminated all routes with fewer than 50 round-trip riders in the spring.
The transportation cuts, which reduced spending by $1.2 million and left roughly 3,000 kids without buses, were a cost-saving measure implemented by district officials in tight fiscal times.
Poway Unified is one of many North County districts, including San Marcos Unified, Bonsall Union and Oceanside Unified to scale back or eliminate busing this year ---- several other area districts took similar steps to cut costs five years ago.
Poway Unified's students, though, are the first to head back to class for the 2008-09 school year without buses, so district officials are watching them to see how parents and students make the transition.
"We are really pleased with how things have gone," said Tim Purvis, Poway Unified's director of transportation. "Everything has been going pretty smoothly."
For the most part, the transportation cuts eliminated elementary school busing for traditional classroom students, and the scaling back of bus services at the middle and high school level, he said.
The district has sold about 3,150 bus passes this year, down from the roughly 6,000 sold last year, he said. And a few last-minute bus pass purchases this summer and growing interest in some routes, opened up buses to parents who were told they would be without, he said.
One such family, were the Amris. After dropping their kids off at school Tuesday morning, the couple headed to the transportation department to purchase a bus pass for their daughter, whose Meadowbrook Middle School route was added Friday night.
"It's good news," said Mohamad Amri. "The traffic was really bad today. It's just one long line ---- there is only one way in and one way out."
At several elementary and middle schools Tuesday, parents and administrators said the parking lots were crowded ---- but it was difficult to know how much of the traffic was caused by the loss of busing. Many parents said they parked farther away and walked to avoid the commotion.
"We didn't want to brave the parking lot," said Elise Chipman, who walked up to Sunset Hills Elementary with her sons.
The boys said they didn't notice the traffic too much, and they were just glad to be at school.
"I like school and there's a lot of fun things here, like the playground," 5-year-old Tyler Chipman said.
Contact staff writer Shayna Chabner at (760) 740-5416 or schabner@nctimes.com.
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the truth wrote on Aug 19, 2008 5:31 PM:it's about time! why should the
taxpayers pay for the transportation
needs of people who are too lazy and
too cheap to transport their own
children to school. parents should
start acting like adults and
anticipate the responsibilities of
parenthood before they start to breed.
there are too many idiots who have
children and then look to the rest of
society to bail them out. get rid of
all the buses!!
PUSD Parent wrote on Aug 19, 2008 6:48 PM:The buses are not free in Poway! They are $218 for a semester or $399 for the year! PUSD cut alot of routes due to budgeting. Parents have to drive their kids to school because the one bus that went to their students school probably got cut! Get your facts "the truth" before you spout off about something.
Fat Kid wrote on Aug 19, 2008 9:31 PM:Now I have to ride a bike to school, bummer.
To the truth wrote on Aug 19, 2008 11:38 PM:The buses are paid for by the parents of PUSD riders.
So with some schools not starting until 9 am and parents having to go to work, how do the kids get a mile and a half to school? Do they ride their bikes on Poway road, walk through the canyons and their migrant camps or do the parents quit their jobs.
Or maybe they work 9:30 until 6:30 and then a 30 -45 minute commute so they can get home to their kids by 7 pm.
About time wrote on Aug 20, 2008 1:52 AM:I think it's a good idea to cut the bus option for most students. Why should it only be offered to some and not all (IEP students notwithstanding)? So what if there's traffic. It's a fact of life and you just have to wake up a little earlier and deal with it. I highly doubt that the cost reimburses the district for their total outlay of money.
Here in the Vista district, schools that are right next to each other start an hour apart. Why? Because of having to get the busses to make enough trips to get everyone. Why is it the district's job to get the kids to school? I live too close for bussing to be an option, but too far to (and too dangerous) to have them walk, so I make 4 round trips per day so someone else can have a bus. Cut the busses and have the schools start within minutes of each other, not an hour!
To the truth wrote on Aug 20, 2008 6:41 AM:Are you that ignorant and or just a knucklehead? ... As PUSD parent wrote that we do pay out of our pockets for buses. That is why I have my kid carpool.
Who pays wrote on Aug 20, 2008 8:13 AM:I PAID! We all paid for the buses, taxation doesn't discriminate if you have children or not. I paid for all your parasites to get rides to school for way too long! If you can't arrange for your "sweet little child's" transportation to and from school, DON'T BREED!! I'm sick of paying for everybody's kids...
Dude wrote on Aug 20, 2008 8:16 AM:I predict a sea of SUVs and minivans.
Danger Danger
Patriot wrote on Aug 20, 2008 8:34 AM:When I was a kid in California, my parents were not charged a fee for me to ride the bus to school. Their taxes somehow paid for both my education and my transportation to school. Isn't that amazing? Now we are spending more tax money on schools and getting less in return. Yes, kids from poor families can still ride the bus for free, but the rest of the parents pay for it in fees. The fees are enough that many parents balk at paying for them, figuring it's cheaper to adjust their schedules and drive their kids to school themselves. So here were are trying to save the planet in California and parents are driving their kids to school. How green is that? Sacramento says the taxpayer isn't paying enough taxes in this state. Revenue to the state has gone through the roof in recent years, the legislature has spent it all, and schools still can't afford to run buses without billing parents.
Finally wrote on Aug 20, 2008 9:04 AM:Finally Patriot raises the intelligent and obvious underlying issue. "Overtaxed Californians" getting less and less for what they pay for. Sacramento and its horrible fiscal ways has jacked up this state & its education & its going to keep going in that direction with this economy. Everyone is going to be paying for our states inability to handle our money. God help us all!
Agreed wrote on Aug 20, 2008 9:42 AM:Patriot's point of the amount of gas wasted while people drive through lines is also very important. With gas prices, they might even have gotten more people to sign up for buses this year.
VUSD is also one that has no bus service at middle and high school level. We are over 3 miles from the schools along dangerous windy roads that are used as cut throughs by Temecula commuters and surrounded by migrant camps. Like how is my kid supposed to walk like that. We were happy to pay for bussing, but the free bussing provided to illegals ruined it for all of us.
So now we add to the polution.
dumbdome wrote on Aug 20, 2008 11:16 AM:more spending less revenue, time to clean house at the dumb dome
Reardon wrote on Aug 20, 2008 11:44 AM:Bus transportation has NOTHING to do with "education."
Neither does "sports" or "lunch."
All are desirable, but schools have proven they are incapable of doing their core requirement -- and with California schools ranking 48th nationally, while their teacher rank number one in teacher pay -- California schools have a LONG way to go.
Once California schools have returned to their previously high academic standards, then we can talk about bussing, and sports and lunch.
Meanwhile, have you ever known a kid to miss his piano lessons, or his Pop Warner practice, or his Little League practice because there was no bussing? Mom and Dad manage to get little Johnnie and Janie to those – they can surely get them to school!
HUH wrote on Aug 20, 2008 12:49 PM:"the traffic more difficult for parents," says a parent? HUH? Parents are the ones making traffic difficult! Those who drop off thier kids from the middle lane deserve to pay 100 percent hospital/funeral, car repair bills AND be charged for child abuse causing death. Sterilize them too.
par for the course wrote on Aug 20, 2008 2:32 PM:I don't get it, I guess I'm too old. I grew up on Savage Way off of Ipava in Poway and either walked or rode my bicycle to Midland then Meadowbrook and finally to PHS. There were busses at that time but it was not considered "cool" to ride the bus. In fact we used to race to school to see if we could beat the busses. I think that kids today are just too spoiled and lazy and their parents molly coddle a bit too much.
Feed them full of carbs and drive them everywhere. By the time they reach puberty they'll be obese.
I am confused you wrote on Aug 20, 2008 4:26 PM:say our children are little butterballs and then when they get the chance to walk and lose some weight, parents are upset?
Former PUSD Student wrote on Aug 20, 2008 6:25 PM:I grew up and went to PUSD schools. The bus fares have always been a rip off to begin with. all that PUSD wants is your money. What a shame
the truth wrote on Aug 20, 2008 6:54 PM:dear "PUSD Parent" & "To the truth":
the buses are greatly subsidized by
the taxpayer. you state "PUSD cut
alot of routes due to budgeting";
well, who do you think pays for the
PUSD budget? it's the taxpayer!!
SAY NO TO TAX INCREASES! STARVE THE
BEAST (INCOMPETENT GOVERNMENT).
Reardon wrote on Aug 20, 2008 6:59 PM:Reduce teacher pay (#1) to match student performance (#48), and that would free up plenty of money for whatever else you might wants.
Each year, peg teacher pay to match the previous years' academic level and wish for the day when California students outperform the other States of this nation AND the teacher pay is also the best!
Reardon wrote on Aug 21, 2008 10:42 PM:My solution, like my mind, is so simple. I can't believe more people haven't agreed. We need to quit thinkign outside factors influence schools or children. Test scores are all that matter and it is the sole way to judge people. Speaking of high pay our police and firefighters are also the highest paid in the country. Do you know how much crime we have here? Also the fires... Put water on them, DUJH!!! We need to cut the pay of these public employees until they all fit the mold and do it all!
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