Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/58727
Paul Monlux rode the bus to school as a student in Potter Valley; now he's a driver there. would continue to show up every morning in Potter Val- ley and other communities. In January, it looked like the end of the line for most school buses due to budget cuts. Gov. Brown cut $248 million in state funding for school transportation as part of the trigger cuts, making California the first state in the nation to completely eliminate funds for busing. Then lawmakers granted districts a reprieve with SB 81, supported by CTA and the Education Coali- tion, which will transform proposed midyear school bus cuts into a general-purpose reduction that will impact K-12 districts evenly. After signing SB 81, the governor stated that he wants to replace specific transportation funds next year with a new block grant funding system that would allow districts to fund bus service if necessary, according to a weighted formula. The reprieve was good news in Potter Valley, since many of the district's 239 students travel 25 miles or more to school each way on the district's two buses. Two years ago, the district ended buses for preschoolers and eliminated all transportation for after-school sports events and field trips to cut costs. Enough is enough, say community members. "If they had cut transportation further, it would have been disastrous," says Duval "Sam" Phillips, PVCEA presi- dent. "It could mean closure of our district." Monlux and fellow PVCEA member Lorrie Hurn, a bus driver for 26 years, also worry about the possible loss of employment. "It's scary," says Hurn. "It's my job, and it's what I have done for so long. I love these kids. It would be really hard for me and for many people in this community to do with- out a school bus." Bus rides provide equal access Advocates believe that if school buses stop rolling, it will not only end a cherished American tradition, but also limit access to public schools for students who don't live within walking distance. "It would be terrible, because school buses are a lifeline connecting students to public education," says CTA President Dean Vogel. "If buses are eliminated, there may not be public transportation to take up the slack. Students may have no way to travel from isolated areas to the larger world of school, friends and sports. It would put an unfair burden on their families, who may already be suffering economically." Eliminating buses would increase congestion on roads and could also put more students at risk, adds Vogel, since records show school buses are safer for transporting stu- dents than cars. According to the Surface Transportation Policy Project, school buses make about 25 percent of trips taken by U.S. children during normal commuting hours, but account for just 2 percent of deaths and 4 percent of injuries sustained by children traveling to school. In com- parison, roughly 74 percent of accidental deaths and 84 percent of injuries suffered by students commuting to school occur in automobiles. Unlike most states, California doesn't require schools to provide busing except in limited circumstances, including special education. California also covers less of the cost than other states — on average about 40 percent, accord- ing to California Department of Education officials — and ranks last in school ridership with just 16 percent of Cali- fornia school children taking buses to school. Once free, school bus transportation now costs families hundreds of dollars for an annual bus pass in many communities. While some districts spend little or nothing on buses, it can be a huge expense for schools located in rural communities. A rural community fights back In southern Humboldt County, teachers, parents and stu- dents were so angry over the possibility of losing buses that they organized a field trip — by school bus, of course — to Sacramento on Jan. 24, where they gave legislators an earful about the burden it would put on students and their families if busing were to be than 25 miles each way to school. March 2012 / www.cta.org 23