Brooklyn, NY – While private school parents are still reeling from the exclusion of a bill that would have provided sorely needed tuition relief in the state budget, assistance is on the way in another form: additional funding for late day bussing for private school students.
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New York already provides $8.1 million in funding to provide transportation home to private school students dismissed after 4 PM, but interest in the additional bussing has grown recently, according to Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein, who lobbied for the additional $4.5 million in funding.
“Originally this had been done as an experiment of sorts,” Weinstein told VIN News. “Last year it became a permanent part of the budget and schools that had hesitated to participate out of concern that funding wouldn’t continue want to participate now.”
Parents of children whose school day ran past 4 PM were typically faced with limited options: pay for private transportation or arrange other methods of getting their children home, often after dark.
“Children with after 4 dismissals were being penalized for having a longer school day,” noted Weinstein. “There is a state requirement to provide transportation and I am so glad to have included this important funding to provide transportation for all children as state law requires.”
Bus stops have also been revamped, with corner to corner drop offs and pickups.
“We basically cut the distance between stops practically in half, which is not only a critical safety issue but is also helpful for families who have boys in one school and girls in another,” said Weinstein.
State Senator Simcha Felder, chairman of the New York City Education Subcommittee who worked with Weinstein on the transportation funding, noted that with matching funds from the city. the total amount allocated for late day bussing for private school parents will be over $23 million.
“I am very happy that the legislation that we fought so hard for, to provide practically door to door transportation in New York City for yeshiva parents, is a resounding success and hundreds of new parents are going to avail themselves of this free service, allowing their children to go to school and get home safely without it costing them a penny,” said Felder.
“We all know that tuition paying parents pay just as much in taxes as everyone else and get very, very little in return so at a minimum, there is some silver lining in the budget that will allow many more schools to have this free transportation.”
Additional transportation funding is a welcome development for the Jewish community according to Agudath Israel of America board member Chaskel Bennett.
“Parents struggling with numerous financial and logistical obligations are grateful for the enhanced bus services now being provided,” said Bennett in a statement released by Weinstein’s office.
Both elected officials and community activists will persist in their efforts to advocate private school parents in Albany.
“This is a perfect example of how we, together with the community, fought for something and were successful and we will persevere in our efforts to force the city to continue helping tuition paying parents,” said Felder.
“The fight for equity and fairness continues,” added Bennett.
Big deal. It’ an embarrassment that everyone claims to have so much access to government in our community and yet simple tuition relief can’t be gotten. I think we spend to much of our community resources cuddling up to politicians and get almost nothing in return. We have hundreds of groups claiming to work for our rights in government and all we can show for it is some late night bussing. When tuition starts to come down then our community will finally see some benefit.