Auburn MA Public School Bus Fee - Update pg 13 #184

[tngramma]

Sally, I think if I had to pay I would insist on seatbelts to ensure the safety of my children. How can they say it is not affordable if you are the one paying.

 

[jayally]

I have to get my Son a bus pass for 9th grade very soon, I should have done it already but I need a picture and the money. There is a newer, better and closer school but still not in walking distance and I would have to drive him everyday as the district will only provide bussing to his home school, which is huge with over 4500 students and many problems EVEN though there is a bus picking up for the better school the next street over. The cost is $150 and will most likly pick him up at 6am, about 1/2 mile from our house. The school itself is over 3 miles away and the day starts at 7:25am- WAAAAYYY too early in my opinion. The bus has to drive past our house but they won't pick him up or drop him off and make him walk in the dark to the stop in the morning. In 6th grade he had to ride the bus and it took over an hour each way even though the school was probably 15 mins. I would wait with him at 6am until the bus came as I didn't like him to wait alone. I am not looking forward to school starting and I don't have the extra $ for a bus pass. Thank goodness my daughter's school it 1/2 mile and the regular middle school is about 1 mile. If she goes to the magnet school it will be back to the long, dark bus rides. The district says they do not have money to pay for the bussing or for new busses, which have to be pollution free and are more money.

 

[jadyson]

Just be glad you don't live in the city of Strongsville, OH. I do not live in this community, but my boss and many of my co-workers do. They have failed a levy numerous times and are faced with a lot of problems if it doesn't pass this November.
Check out this link: http://strong4schools.org/FAQ.htm
(copy and paste, sorry)

I know it doesn't help to see others in the same boat, but unfortunately it's happening everywhere.

 

[InnerStrength06]

MA state law says any child 5th grade or lower and under 2 miles from the school, transportation does have to be provided.

Wow! This law is news to me and I live in MA. I went to school (elementary through HS) in the city that I live in, and my 2 children both go to an elementary school right now, and NO school bus services were ever provided for me, nor are they for my children ~ not even for a fee. As a matter of fact, when I signed up DD for kindergarten 5 yrs ago, we were told that transportation must be provided by the family. (???) Fortunately we do live within 2 miles from the school, but what if that was not the case?

When I was in school, I either walked ~ it took me 40 minutes to walk to my elementary school, or paid for the public bus (with coins or a bus pass paid for by my mother) when I entered middle and high school.

We are property owners and pay plenty of taxes here, live in a city yet it is rural where we are, and no school buses for my children ~ I wonder just what law in MA this is?

Lori ~ living it up in the southcoast of MA (without school busses)

 

[nowellsl]

In my school district busing is not provided within 2 miles of school - no option to pay at all. They do provide crossing guards at intersections. Traffic is so bad at drop off and pick up times it causes back-ups for blocks! Sometimes I wish we could require all students to be bused just to elimate the traffic nightmare!

 

[It's A Happy Day]

Wow! This law is news to me and I live in MA. I went to school (elementary through HS) in the city that I live in, and my 2 children both go to an elementary school right now, and NO school bus services were ever provided for me, nor are they for my children ~ not even for a fee. As a matter of fact, when I signed up DD for kindergarten 5 yrs ago, we were told that transportation must be provided by the family. (???) Fortunately we do live within 2 miles from the school, but what if that was not the case?

When I was in school, I either walked ~ it took me 40 minutes to walk to my elementary school, or paid for the public bus (with coins or a bus pass paid for by my mother) when I entered middle and high school.

We are property owners and pay plenty of taxes here, live in a city yet it is rural where we are, and no school buses for my children ~ I wonder just what law in MA this is?

Lori ~ living it up in the southcoast of MA (without school busses)

Although this is a guideline. I know I have a link at home to the MA state laws outlining it as well but do not have access to it right now (at work).

check out this: http://finance1.doe.mass.edu/transport/guide_1.html

But my major argument with the whole thing is how can they say last year yes you meet the guidelines here is your pass and now this year although absolutely nothing has changed - not the guidelines, and we haven't moved, the school hasn't moved, we have not had a major act of god that shifted our locations at all - we do not meet the guidelines

 

[gina2000]

In my school district busing is not provided within 2 miles of school - no option to pay at all. They do provide crossing guards at intersections.

Same here.

 

[Hannathy]

I have a question, what happens when they bend the rules for you and then the other parents that are also 1.9 miles away -according to map quest, if that is what they rely on-say oh then we want buses! You got luck last year and the sup. bent the rules and now this new one isn't going to bend them. I think you just have to deal with you aren't over 2 miles away.

Our elem have to be over 2 miles and middle and high have to be over 2 1/2.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I've never heard of paying for school buses! It seems weird to me that there is a charge for those students under 2 miles. It seems like that's the opposite of what they would charge. It costs more to pick up students further out. Seems like the charge should be levied on those that live farther than 2 miles from the school. Not saying I agree with the charge at all, I don't. To me, it's an illogical charge.

 

[Gillian]

I am really interested in this. Do you pay less in taxes? I am paying $16,000 a year in taxes so I think that is why the bus is covered. But are you also paying big taxes and still having to pay?

Are you in NJ? I think that the school districts get money from the state for bussing, but I'd guess it's only for the kids who require bussing. The OP may or may not be close enough to the school to walk, so that's where the problem is coming in. In my district there is no bussing if you're within the 2 miles or whatever (it varies by grade). They don't charge because they won't bus you if you're too close.

DS goes to private school and we get back ~$700 from the district for bussing, since they won't provide transportation to his school.

 

[java]

Are you in NJ? I think that the school districts get money from the state for bussing, but I'd guess it's only for the kids who require bussing. The OP may or may not be close enough to the school to walk, so that's where the problem is coming in. In my district there is no bussing if you're within the 2 miles or whatever (it varies by grade). They don't charge because they won't bus you if you're too close.

DS goes to private school and we get back ~$700 from the district for bussing, since they won't provide transportation to his school.

Yep nj. But even if the $ is coming from the state that money is coming from taxes.
Here, as I said before, they don't LET you walk. We are rural too and they are afraid of Bear attacks No not really but that is what they tell the kids to stop them from walking to school.

 

[C.Ann]

I live in Scituate,MA. My dds are in 7th and 8th grade so I pay $450 for their bus. It doesn't bother me too much (except it is due in June when I have several other big bills)..

-------------------

I never knew you had to pay for the school bus there.. I have a cousin who lives in Scituate, but her kids are grown now..

Wanted to add that I LOVE your town - and was heartbroken when we were there in '78 (?) and saw all of that horrible damage from that winter storm.. Couldn't believe the big "holes" on the beach front where houses used to be -and so many houses just picked up and dropped on top of others.. Unbelievable!!

I was back there in '94 and the town looked great!

 

[problemchild718]

I would be ticked off as well! My dd will be in 2nd grade and her bus stop is 1.2 miles from my house. That just gets my undies in a bunch! If I were you, I'd get it in writting this year so you don't have to deal with it again.

 

[carmie3377]

Where we live the school imposes the following fees:
$43.00 per month for 1 child in the household
$55.00 per month for 2 children in the household
$65.00 per month for 3 or more children in the household

I will be driving DD to school. We pay about 4% real estate tax (with a small 15,000 HS exemption) here and most of that goes to public schools, so taxes are pretty high. Plus, the lunches here are high. Public school these days can cost a fortune!

 

[Gillian]

java, True about it being tax money, but if it comes from the state then it's separate from your property taxes. If your district busses everyone, most likely your 16k includes extra money for bussing. If you really want to know how this works in NJ, PM me your specific questions and I can ask a source!

 

[kfeuer]

Count me in as another person who's never heard of having to pay for public school buses! OP, knowing the kind of taxes you're paying in MA I find it unbelievable that they're charging you. And the school doesn't have enough paper?!?

My property taxes are very reasonable ($1,522 this year) so I can understand why the schools ask for extra supplies. However, I would not be at all understanding if my tax bill was as high as some of you pay.

OP, good luck on getting this resolved once and for all!

 

[CEDmom]

This year we'd have to pay since we're under 2 miles (1.9 to be exact) and the district has cut all courtesy busing - not required of them to provide. We had a bus last year because the town hadn't completed all the necessary sidewalks to get kids safely to school. A seat would cost us $500 this year. Needless to say I'll be driving DD and probably get into a car pool with neighbors.

I do have to say given the choice of cutting some program or raising or taxes to keep the buses I'll happily do away with it. I went to several School Board budget meetings and things are so wacked at the state level here that their hands are tied in many ways.

 

[snomofinn]

My nephew went to a public high school and they did not have bus service, so the kids either had to drive once they turned 16 or parents had to drive them. They live in a large suburb of chicago! this is not a little town in the country, you could only imagine how upset my DSIL and DBIL were to find this out. My DD attended a private high school, which did not offer bus service to our town. They did however have transporation reimbursement. At the end of the year I had to fill out a form on how many miles it was from our home to school and they calculated how many miles we drove in a school year and they paid so much per mile. Although, they only gave us a check for a portion of that, it usually came out to about 350.00 at the end of the year. Good luck!

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

My sister lives within a couple of miles of the school and would have to pay as well, but but she drives my niece. In my town, they do not charge, however, I do not like the idea of my kids being on a school bus. Sketches me out big time. I don't know why...I hear too many "school bus" horror stories. BUT, my DS 5 will ride the bus to and from kindergarten because the kindergarteners ride in a short bus because in our town there are only 10-15 kids per grade. In my son's kindergarten class, there are only 10 of them!! So, I feel better that he is riding a little bus with just the other kids in his class. My DD also rides a little bus or van because she is special needs and has to be bussed to the next town over. Scares me horribly.

Anyway, Sally, I feel for you. I hope that they resolve this issue quickly in your favor.

 

[PA Princess]

Amazing how varied the handling of busing is in the different states. I have to say that our state of PA actually seems fairly reasonable in the handling of the matter. They do require you to be a certain distance away from the school (I think 1 1/2 miles for elementary and 2 miles for secondary), but there is no fee for busing in any district of which I am aware.

Also, PA law actually requires districts to bus private school students in their district if the private school is less than 10 miles away from a district boundary. Again, this is provided at no cost to parents.