Letter: Transportation policy is unfair
Monday, August 20, 2012
High-schoolers who attend a magnet school (not the child's home boundary school) are provided bus transportation by Vancouver Public Schools from a middle school "hub" site in the morning and back to their home school in the afternoon.
Children attending Vancouver School of Arts and Academics or STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) magnets hit the mother lode in transportation, with the district providing round-trip bus service, from a morning "hub" site and in the afternoon they're returned to their neighborhood bus stop.
Children attending a magnet school for Challenge or the language immersion programs, however, are provided no transportation. Parents must provide transportation and may be reimbursed a stipend based on the miles driven. You can't afford to not work or you have no family or friend who can transport your child? Apparently that's just too bad.
Why are transportation resources in this district so inequitably distributed? In a phone call with Vancouver Public Schools, I was told, "You choose to send your child to that school (a Challenge school)." I pointed out that all the parents with children in other magnet schools "choose" to send them there also.
Vancouver's school board and district administration should reallocate transportation resources to support all children in magnet schools.
Theresa Kelsay
Vancouver
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