D203 TRANSPORTATION PLAN TAKES TOO LARGE A TOLL ON KIDS
Naperville’s schools are one of the biggest reasons families choose to live here. They also help drive our property values and make our community what it is.
That is why as a mother of three Naperville School District 203 children, I am troubled by the district’s new transportation plan. It’s being promoted as more efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly, but where is the discussion about whether it’s better for our children?
At a recent Naperville City Council meeting, a mother described what the new plan means for her two elementary-school children. One has autism and ADHD and has an Individualized Education Program that specifically addresses the difficulty of sitting still for extended periods. Yet her children now leave for school at 6:11 a.m. and spend more than two hours on the bus each way. Their afternoon bus does not arrive at their stop until 4:48 p.m. Before this year, their bus ride was less than 45 minutes.
When she raised her concerns with the district, she was told the changes were partly related to the district’s Climate Action Plan.
Her experience is not unique. Other parents have told me their children’s bus ride times have doubled and many are spending more than an hour each way on the bus. Moreover, these buses are packed, with kids needing to somehow keep their backpacks, sports equipment and instruments on their laps.
That should concern all of us.
The district has a responsibility to transport children safely and reasonably. A 6:11 a.m. pickup followed by more than two hours on a bus is not a reasonable expectation for any child.
And there is an irony here: if the transportation system pushes more parents to drive their children to school, it could actually increase traffic and greenhouse-gas emissions — the opposite of what the plan is intended to accomplish.
I support efforts to make our schools more environmentally responsible. District 203 has set a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, and transportation is one of its largest sources of emissions.
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I also understand that there is a national bus driver shortage. How about we incentivize people to become bus drivers by paying them appropriately? Instead of spending money on electric school buses, which take the entire life of the bus to recoup the cost, we put that money to higher bus driver wages. I applaud District 203’s efforts to save money but this is one area where budget cuts should not be made.
Efficiency matters. Cost matters. The environment matters.
But none of these things should come before the children sitting on those buses.
Jennifer Bruzan Taylor, Naperville
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