Kudos to the Everett School District for its handling of transportation budget cuts. In my mind, they have made the changes as minimal and well-thought out as they could. I imagine there are angry parents with complaints about the cuts and I just wanted to state that some of us are on the side of the district.
I would much rather see these cuts (even if it means a hassle to get my kids to school) than classroom cuts, or blanket “no bus” policies that other districts around the country have had to implement when taxpayers vote down levies.
I hope that many parents see the intrinsic value in children getting to school under their own power and with the cooperation of neighbors and the community. For our own health and the health of our environment, getting kids out of cars is a step in the right direction when it can be done safely.
Anyone who has driven by an elementary school lately (at least the ones in my area of the district) can see that many parents are choosing to drive their students to school already, instead of walking or having the kids ride the bus. Why not teach our kids the benefits of walking, biking, busing or carpooling? In 10 to 15 years, we will all hope they choose those means of getting to work!
I think that parents who complain the bus is the only way to get their children to school without jeopardizing their job (as quoted in The Herald) are fear mongering — the amount of time between a bus pickup/drop-off and when the child can be driven to school/picked up is not that great — those parents are probably already in a position to need before/after school care.
We all make our choices and have different family situations, but ultimately have responsibility for our children; it’s not fair to pass all the responsibility (blame) on to the schools.
Tannis Golebiewski
(parent at Woodside, Cedar Wood and Heatherwood)
Mill Creek
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