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School officials consider keeping seventh graders on school buses for another year

Correction: The School Committee took no action tonight.

Interim School Superintendent John McDonough told the School Committee tonight he's looking at a two-year phase-in for a plan to move seventh and eighth graders who need transportation to and from school from school buses to the T - as first proposed by Mayor Walsh:

This may be a good way to implement a good policy by beginning with MBTA service for the 8th grade this year and then 7th and 8th grade in the following school year. We expect to have updates on this for you later this month.

School officials say the move, which they had initially planned for the coming school year, will save money, even with the cost of buying student CharlieCards.

Seventh and eighth graders at the city's exam schools have long had to make their own way to school - although they do get student CharlieCards.

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Comments

So, how does this work in reality? I'm not familiar with all of the 100+ public schools in Boston. Are there many schools where 7th and 8th graders both attend? So, if I'm an 8th-grader and I see my buddy 7th-grader waiting at the bus stop for the bus that goes to the same school I'm going to, he goes on the bus but I head down to the T stop?

Or is that unlikely?

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Take, for example, the Washington Irving in Roslindale (the only middle school I'm remotely familiar with). It's 6-8, so, yes, you'll have 7th and 8th graders there and, yes, in your example, one kid would get on a school bus and the other would have to get on a T bus (given that greater Roslindale is a bit poor in the subway department).

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So the half empty buses will stop at a bus stop, pick up the sixth and seventh graders but not eighth graders who attend the same school? How does this save money? This is foolish at best.

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Or smaller ones, given that there will be one-third fewer students needing them.

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Initially, but over time we need to move torwards neighborhood schools. So in the long run it makes senses. Or maybe we could keep with the trend and send kids 10+ mi to school. We live in a CITY not the burbs ya yuppie!

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The School Committee took no action tonight. The interim superintendent just said he's considering a proposal by Mayor Walsh to phase the T plan in over two years. Original post updated.

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Their show of support for their union thugs at Dorchester court is the reason for this change not concern over the safety of the kids

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And you know that, how ?
In days of old , elementary schools were grades K - 6 the grades , junior highs 7 - 9 the grades , then high school. The schools were all walked to , unless you passed the exam for Latin , English , or Tech high schools , or you chose to take a trade, at specific high schools that offered the trade , like say Boston Trade , or C Town for electricity , Hyde Park for printing eft.These options were traveled T style , on the students own dime. Judge Garrity and the intelligentistas created the busing , not the transportation unions. Jimmy Hoffa might have been a little harder to handle. Strawberries, any one !

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that will not have bus service for sixth through eighth graders this year. The school is part of a pilot program.

It does not affect my family directly, since my children walk to school, but it seems a way for the school to ensure the children of color, who are more likely to take the best, will not come across town. The wealthier, whiter children who donate generously to the PTA usually get a ride to school in their mom's SUV.

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