Leadership needed to solve busing issue

Informed decisions require transparency, parents write.

With winter fast approaching, parents continue to have concerns about the Calgary Board of Education’s 2015- 16 reductions to bus service. Now that snow is falling and temperatures are getting colder, long walk distances will cause even more challenges for students.

In September, the CBE moved to congregated bus stops requiring students to walk 1.6 to 1.8 kilometres — double the distance of any other urban board in Alberta. All subsidies for Calgary Transit riders have also been removed, placing a higher burden on families. With only four days’ notice of the actual routes, parents were both shocked and upset.

Last May, the Calgary Association of Parents and School Councils’ executive asked the CBE for the numbers and rationale behind the changes. As no real answers have been supplied, we recently submitted a freedom of information request. The documents are troubling.

Minutes from a private meeting in April refer to a transportation report a year earlier, indicating a move to 2.4 kilometre walk distances for all children. We are disappointed this possibility was not voiced publicly, especially in the February transportation survey for parents. Parents cannot participate fully if they lack critical information.

The FOIP documents show transportation costs have escalated significantly over the past three years. Special needs busing requires more support, with costs in this area increasing from $ 12.7 million to $ 16.7 million ( 32 per cent). During the same period, the cost of regular/ alternative program busing was reduced by almost $ 3 million, from $ 25 million to $ 22.3 million. The other significant increase in cost is for transportation administration — a 77 per cent increase in three years.

We should not expect six- year- olds to walk four times the distance an adult would.

Everyone agrees that all special needs children must have their needs met, without exception. But surely stakeholders can also acknowledge that all children require age- appropriate walk distances that reflect the reality of our winter climate. We should not expect six- yearolds to walk four times the distance an adult would to catch a Calgary Transit bus.

For some time, alternate program students have paid a price in reduced service. Consider that popular alternate programs serve to move children from densely packed outlying areas into the less crowded inner city, leaving more regular program children to stay in their home communities instead of being bused to overflow schools. We hope that a clearer view of the financial picture will put the “alternate versus regular program” argument to rest, and stop pitting parents against each other.

CBE administration and trustees have recognized that consultation is an issue. While we appreciate the desire to improve engagement, the proposed price tag is up to $ 500,000. This money, together with the $ 2.2 million cost to fix walk distances over 1.8 kilometres and the $ 30 reduction in yellow school bus fees, would have gone a long way toward preventing the massive cuts to service in the first place.

Before we ask families and government to put more money into education during a financially challenging time, we ask for clarity on how the CBE uses public dollars they already have since they can choose to use discretionary funds. We thank Trustee Trina Hurdman for requesting a financial breakdown in May, and hope other trustees will support this voice for transparency. Imagine what would have happened a year ago if the CBE had shared details. Parents, CBE and government could have worked together to find a better solution. Let’s not miss another opportunity to fix it.

Our children deserve better. We ask trustees, government and MLAs to ensure real accountability and transparency, and to work together to find a solution that reflects the needs of Calgary’s children. We look forward to seeing leadership on this issue emerge.