BPS buses arrive amid 1st-day fears
Just over half of Boston Public Schools buses arrived on time yesterday morning for the first day of classes after a week of reports of late buses for charter schools that had many BPS families bracing for the worst.
Fifty-one percent of buses arrived at school on time yesterday morning and 80 percent of buses arrived within 15 minutes, according to BPS.
The on-time performance is slightly better than last year’s first day of school, when only 41 percent of buses arrived on time and 72 percent arrived within 15 minutes.
“There is always first-day, first-week glitches that are normal in any school year,” Interim Superintendent Laura Perille told the Herald yesterday. “We expect some of those. … When there are glitches, our focus is on how quickly can we respond.”
BPS, in a statement, said, “We are confident that service will continue to improve.” And Mayor Martin J. Walsh said, “Obviously, we can’t control traffic, but people are out there doing their job.”
Many parents were wary about the bus schedule after many buses last week went uncovered for the charter schools. The district is in contract negotiations with the bus drivers union, part of the United Steelworkers, and the transportation contractor, Transdev. Walsh would not comment on the negotiations, only stating they are “going good.”
Jill MaGuire, a parent at Boston Latin Academy, said her seventh-grade son and other students were stranded at the Forest Hills MBTA stop when they tried to find a bus to reach Boston Latin Academy.
“They are 12,” MaGuire said. “At this point, my son was put in a situation he shouldn’t have been put in. No one can give me answers.”
Lisa Battiston, spokeswoman for the MBTA, said an accident yesterday morning blocked traffic and affected the Route 36 bus that runs out of Forest Hills Station to Boston Latin Academy. With the road blocked, passengers on board, including students, were asked by a bus driver to exit the bus and go onto Forest Hills Station, where a bus would accommodate them the rest of the way, Battiston said.
As kids headed back to school, the future of the district is top-of-mind for many parents, especially when it comes to who will become the permanent superintendent and how it will address longtime problems like school start times, inequity in the school assignment system and the makeup of school facilities.
Perille is serving in an interim role after former Superintendent Tommy Chang resigned in the summer.
“We need an experienced educator who knows the issues facing Boston, someone who can be a champion for Boston Public Schools,” said Kevin Murray, a Boston Latin School parent and member of QUEST, a parent activist group. “There are serious equity issues that need to be addressed before the next assignment process.”
Expectations were high yesterday at Perkins Elementary School in South Boston.
“It’s a new year and I’m in fifth grade,” said Binta Ba, 10, a Perkins student. “I’m at the highest level. I have to be a good role model for younger kids.”