By Ben Joravsky
“I’ve seen a lot, but this may be the worst,” says Eric Outten, cofounder of Schools First (a parents’ group) and chair of the local school council at Burnside Academy on the far south side. “It’s the lack of inclusion. It’s the fact that Vallas feels he can dictate anything. This time I think he may have crossed a line.”
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Yet for all his power, busing remained a $100 million-a-year line item just beyond his reach, since it was used for legally required (and hugely popular) special-education and magnet programs. (The system also buses thousands of children away from overcrowded schools.) To Vallas the busing seemed a colossal waste of money. He convinced some schools to pair routes voluntarily, and he saved more money by limiting the distances other buses would travel. But ultimately he decided these cuts didn’t go far enough, so he opted for unilateral change. (Vallas did not respond to this writer for comment.) Starting in August, the 80 elementary schools that are serviced by at least nine buses would be paired; a bus would pick up children and drop them off at the “early schools,” then gather a second batch of kids for the “late schools.” This change would save $4.4 million a year that could then be spent on other things.
Most after-school programs begin long after 1:30 PM. Who would take care of children let out in early afternoon if their parents were working? Did Vallas and the board intend to create thousands of latch-key children with nothing to do but sit at home alone and watch TV?
“The problem with pairing is that drivers are in a greater rush to make their routes. It’s actually worse, I think, for kids from the later-starting schools, since they’re the ones standing on the corner until 11 in the morning or 5 in the afternoon if buses break down on the first run. You’ll have parents heading off to work, only to have to go home to get their kids at the corner. From my perspective the change is crazy–and to jam it down people’s throats at the end of the year is unbelievable.”
“Leave my children out of this,” he snapped.
Mayor Daley, reeling under this barrage of protest and perhaps concerned about next year’s mayoral election, has asked Vallas and board president Gery Chico to be more flexible. Vallas has not publicly rescinded the plan, but he has sent letters to LSCs asking for ways they might reduce busing.
