A number of parents at alternative-programming schools in Calgary have expressed frustration over the Calgary Board of Education’s (CBE) plan to eliminate the yellow school bus option.
This move will come at an increased cost of $365 per bused student.
Schools like Senator Patrick Burns, Robert Warren and Canyon Meadows offer language-based programs. Up until now, students were able to get to school via a yellow school bus which cost $335 in 2016-17.
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Families at some schools were recently notified by the CBE that yellow bus service will cease to exist in the fall for them, and that students must now either take Calgary Transit at a cost of $700 or find an alternate means to get to school.
The CBE Director of Planning and Transportation told Global News these kinds of changes in transportation are not uncommon, and the CBE makes decisions to move more students from yellow school buses to transit buses every year.
Carrie Edwards said 1,300 CBE students will be moving onto Calgary Transit from yellow school buses in the fall.
No decisions have been made yet about the specific details around these particular bus routes, whether some buses will be designated routes or regular transit routes.
But the thought of moving to public transit routes has many families upset.
A public meeting was held at Senator Patrick Burns Monday night to discuss the proposed changes.
Sabrina Gavilan told Global News the decision to move to Calgary Transit, along with the modified bell times is forcing her to take her kids out of the Spanish program at Senator Patrick Burns.
“My son will be going to school way too early. They’re on the school bus right now at 7: 16 am and they want to up the school a half an hour – so he’s supposed to be on the bus at 6:45 in the morning?”
Gavalin was also not comfortable with her 10-year-old daughter needing to take two city buses and the LRT by herself in order to get to school every day.
Edwards said many students take transit to school every day. “We’ve had a number of Grade 6 students on Calgary Transit for at least four years, so this is not new to the CBE.”
One father at the meeting Monday said he is frustrated with the frequent changes to CBE transportation and fees.
“Last year I paid over $1,700 for my three kids, including lunchroom supervision. Now with city busses-$70 a month, $210 a month, times 10 months…it’s getting ridiculous,” Bogdan Dubrojh said.
Dubrojh told Global News these changes are forcing his family to also leave their school.
According to Edwards the CBE was forced to make some difficult decisions. “The challenge has been that with the announcement of Bill 1 – the government recognizes that alternative programs are programs of choice. And as such they indicate that transportation to and from alternative programs is parental responsibility.”
A public meeting is scheduled at Robert Warren School Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 5 p.m.