Fairfax Co. school boundary changes could leave some without bus transportation

It’s not clear how roughly 1,500 youthful Fairfax County Public School college students will probably be attending to school this fall.

The school board voted Thursday to approve Superintendent Michelle Reid’s proposal to supply free bus transportation to 69 excessive school college students, however not center and elementary school college students affected by final month’s school boundary changes.

Under the school district’s school boundary rewrite, 1,637 of the county’s 177,000 present college students could be rezoned to attend new faculties.

The school board’s phase-in coverage permits college students of their last two grades of elementary, center and excessive faculties to decide on between going to their new school or remaining of their present school.

Reid informed school board members that, given tight finances constraints, she beneficial funding to move the one 69 excessive school college students who selected to stay the place they’re.

Reid informed board members it will price FCPS $3.1 million to supply transportation for all college students who select to remain at their present school. By distinction, transporting solely the affected excessive school college students would price $241,386.

Reid’s advice handed with a 7-4 vote.

‘Unnecessarily demanding’ for youthful college students

With the school board’s vote, roughly 1,500 college students and their households in elementary and center faculties are confronted with having to drive college students to school, or transfer to their newly-zoned school, and obtain free bus transportation.

“We cannot prioritize our older students to the detriment of our younger students, who need our transportation and the safety that provides more than our older students,” stated At-Large board member Ryan McElveen.

Board member Ricardy Anderson, of the Mason District, argued that the county ought to prioritize transportation, somewhat than different tasks: “I see this as giving food to someone who’s hungry, but yet we’re putting it in a tree that’s 20 feet high, and unless they’re able to levitate themselves or they have a ladder, they cannot access this.”

“Voting to strip transportation to those eligible is damaging to the credibility of this board and this school division,” stated Hunter Mill District consultant Melanie Meren. “Can you see the headlines already? ‘School board denies school buses to students.’”

School Board Vice Chair Robyn Lady, of the Dranesville District, was one of many majority supporting Reid’s priorities.

“I support paying for transportation for all high school students because they face the most complex transitions regarding credits and graduation, and where the stakes are higher,” Lady stated.

“We are currently facing a $43 million budget gap between our needs and the projected funding from the state and our Board of Supervisors, and in this climate, we must prioritize.”

Meren urged the board discover the cash to pay for bus transportation for all college students affected by the rezoning.

“The kids waiting today to know what high school they’re going to,” Meren stated. “That’s not how I want to do business, and I think it’s unnecessarily stressful.”

Reid acknowledged considerations that some college students must leave the acquainted safety of colleges close to the place they stay or have mother and father be required to supply transportation, which might introduce new inconvenience.

“Often, many things can be true at the same time, right? All of the ideas are outstanding ideas. We just aren’t going to be able to fund all of them,” Reid stated.

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