The wheels on the bus go... What?

Utah’s public education system needs to find a stack of one dollar bills over 20 miles high (according to my calculations). They need to find it in order to pay off their 293 million dollar deficit. Considering the fact that stacks of cash are hard to come by these days, it is unlikely public schools are going to run into the illusive 20 mile high mountain of cash hiding in downtown Salt Lake City anytime soon. In the meanwhile, Senator Chris Buttars has come up with another idea to cut into the deep deficit. He has proposed an idea that would stop schools from running their bus routes. Senator Buttars believes that since most children do not ride the school bus, then it would only be a minority of people that would have to find rides to make it to class. Buttars is mainly allured by the idea because it could save what he says will be about 70 million dollars annually.

At first, the prospect of saving 70 million dollars seems enticing, but would that savings really pay off the costs of not having bussing for students? Senator Buttars is right when he says that most high school students do not ride the bus. This policy would not affect the majority directly, but it would definitely have an impact on the minority. It is typically students whose families struggle financially that use the bus system, and it would be difficult to find a way to get their children to school. Many families do not have enough cars, and others live too far away to get a ride. After school sports and extra curricular programs would also not have a mode of transportation to get to their activities. This may not be a problem for some parents, but it would be a problem for many who could not afford to become taxis. There are many situations that would be complicated by not having buses, but the bottom line is that it would strike a blow to the students who are already at a disadvantage. It would also hit the school districts harder who do not have the same financial means as others in the state. Certain school districts in Utah (Millard School District) have over half of their students on reduced lunch programs and most do not own cars. According to Deseret News “District officials (Millard) joked that their high school students are not about to start driving four-wheelers and tractors to school.”

Although it would be nice to have the extra 70 million dollars, which these days is as rare as a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, cutting the bus program is not the way to save money. It hurts the students, it hurts the parents, and it hurts the chances at an equal opportunity education. If the government is going to provide education they should provide a way to get there.

P.S. don’t forget all the bus drivers who would lose their jobs.

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