The elimination of “courtesy routes” (bus routes within two miles of schools) by LCS for the upcoming school year has caused a great deal of anxiety for parents just days before school is scheduled to begin.
On Friday, former superintendent Jackie Pons commented on the issue. He tweeted on his account:
“There is a reason why we have bus routes within two miles of schools because safety should always be our number one priority.jp “
TR has been told that the funding for school transportation, which is provided by the state, is only available for students that live over two miles away from their school. However, LCS has been providing “courtesy routes” for those within the two mile distance and picking up the costs for a number of years.
Parents were notified last year by LCS that all “courtesy routes” would eventually be eliminated.
Former Superintendent Pons Comments on LCS Transportation Issue added by Steve Stewart on
View all posts by Steve Stewart →
Did not have this problem on Pons’ watch. And the FBI dropping the case equates to cleared( ask anyone connected to FBI). They determine if someone is guilty; if not, they close the case. And they never close cases unless they find absolutely no wrongdoing. I do get tired of the spin Rocky continues to have around this case. We got what we deserved voting this dimwit hall monitor Superintendent.
So maybe we shouldn’t be building a 300,000 dollar bus stop on Orange Avenue…just sayin’
idiots….
Why isn’t the name, Manny Joanos, mentioned anywhere since he is director of transportation? Maybe he is looking for a new job. He has held every job there is in Leon county.
I dont know why, but it’s a good question, but despite Joanas long term employment it’s possable Joanas’ position takes orders from the Hanna Regime much like the school’s janitors have to do their jobs as ordered or be fired.
For the Hanna Regime to inform parents of this JUST DAYS before schools open is totally irresponsible and a deriliction of duty.
This is not your grandfather’s world where it’s safe for young kids to be walking 2 miles to and from school.
Leon County property owners would have 8itched but would still be willing to pay a few extra dollars on their property tax bill to fund this need.
Again JUST DAYS BEFORE SCHOOL OPENED? What’s wrong with you @holes in the twisted “lost your way” Hanna Regime?
Be ashamed of yourselves.
I’m betting the change was in response to irate parents who were denied courtesy stops. I was one such parent at one point in time….They allowed courtesy stops where they wanted, but not in a safe area. I couldn’t leave my child at a bus stop in front of an RV park where registered sex offenders live, so I asked for another stop that was on the established route. I was denied. The reason given was that only stops 2 miles from school are provided. When I mentioned the courtesy stop that was less than 2 miles away but in front of pedophiles, I was denied anyway. If enough parents are complaining, they might’ve just eliminated all the courtesy stops to avoid future problems or claims of favoritism. Oops…
I was in the same predicament as you with my disabled child. And while I do feel the citizens will step up and take care of this problem by a few extra dollars in property tax (or some other method of funding) I am also getting the feeling the Hanna regime is holding our precious childern hostage in a ham fisted manner to force the funding issue.
Quite likely the Hanna Regime is looking forward to our kids walking the 2 + 2 = 4 miles each day past God only knows how many sexual predators homes and stalkers in cars waiting for their moment to grab a kid.
The soulless Hanna regime wants and needs some incidents like that to get the money they lust after.
Then we have the leftist administrators known penchant to waste our money and divert it to their personal gain thru their graft, corruption, and kickbacks.
I wish we could stop voting leftist Democrats into office but historically this part of Florida’s voters just dont get it and likely will continue to support with their votes more leaders like we have with the soulless Hanna Regime. The same citizens that brought on the FBI into our fair city.
Its our neighbors that put us in this disgraceful situation with their wack voting preferences. We can not really blaim a leftist for being a corrupt leftist when we continue to elect them again and again and again…..and again.
Why is Pons commenting on anything? He dodged indictment by the skin of his teeth. He is a certifiable moron. He was NOT found innocent, just wasn’t prosecuted. Take the gift Jackie and fade off into the political boneyard.
Jonathan,
Please contact the U. S. Attorney’s Office, the matter was closed, no credible information brought forth. Rocky Hanna admitted he made it all up. Further Rocky ADMITTED to the school board attorney that he had NO knowledge of any wrongdoing. Rocky admitted he wrote the summaries in each section of his notebook designed to misinform authorities. The information that Rocky admitted placing in his notebook was gathered by Rocky himself, then Rocky wrote the purposely misleading summaries to each section of the notebook, then Rocky sent it without signature to every news outlet and state agency. The Florida Dept of Education looked at found nothing. Every contract that Rocky included in the notebook was reviewed, then recommend to school board members by the school board attorney. This community should be calling got the immediate suspension of Rocky Hanna. By the way, after Rocky admitted he had no knowledge of any wrongdoing he REFUSED to answer any other questions.
“TR has been told that the funding for school transportation, which is provided by the state, is only available for students that live over two miles away from their school” ************** This makes NO since. How is the State going to know that a Student was picked 1.5 Miles from School? They are using the SAME BUSES, there is no special Bus that only picks up students that live with in 2 Miles from the School. This is all BS, a Political Move for some unknown reason. Safety should always come first, no Child should be walking a single mile to School.
It is my understanding the state requirement regarding the two mile funding rule is over 60 years old. We now have neighborhood schools. It makes no sense to pass kids by just because they live within two miles of their school. Safety and common sense demands the state to change the funding formula to a ridership basis.
What is the actual cost to provide transportation per student, less than 2 miles, twice per day? Perhaps there could be a Private Sector/Charitable Organization/ Public Sector partnership- cost sharing?
We have to know costs before we can determine feasibility…
It wasn’t a Cost problem Last Year or the Year before that or the Years before THAT. This is a new issue for THIS Year.
As far as you know it wasn’t a cost problem. What was not paid for because they were paying transportation costs? My guess is that the transportation costs were moved to security
Time to vote rocky and the whole corrupt administration out
I hope that these politicians had the brains to pull up sex offender demographics as well as crime statistics and consider same. I doubt it though. Safety vs money.
there’s sex offenders registered and living less than a mile from some of these schools. One of the courtesy bus stops was in front of an RV park where at least two sex offenders were living. There are sex offenders less than an eighth of a mile from the southside schools….
I have tried for several years to provide Services and input. Mr. Hanna has yet to even respond, I have submitted several proposals as a grassroots agency and have yet to be give an audience.
Mr. Carter, I believe I met you once and talked about the schools and our community. Instead of waiting for a response from Mr. Hanna, please consider registering to run for Superintendent. I think you would be awesome!
We now have a Superintendent of Schools now believes he knows what our district needs and he doesn’t seek input from the community. Partnering with Leon County Schools is quite difficult, but please don’t give up!
Question. Can the deficit be supplemented / augmented by any other resource for sake of safety?
Those in the affected areas, could a parent elect to pay a reasonable charge?
Under the Federal transportation grant (City?), is there a way to redirect funds to reestablish these routes?
While I don’t particularly like this option, has there been any calculation to determine what a milage increase might look like to cover the loss? Or what about an MSTU and reduce the exclusion zones to a half or quarter mile?
Does anyone have any outside the box ideas to help keep these kids safe?
In the stuff I read last week in efforts to address transportation issues, I read in a policy that LCSB could charge parents for transportation that is outside the state mandatory bus transport requirements.
But does that mean that poor children won’t get to school?
I don’t think that elementary school students can walk two miles to and from school (or even a lot less than that) where there aren’t sidewalks, even if that is now what state rule allows and funds.
I understand the bus driver shortage issue. And it isn’t a bad thing to try something new to contain cost growth. And we don’t yet know what will actually happen in the routes tomorrow. But we ought to all agree that children should be able to get to school safely whether the state pays for them, or whether taxpayers do.
“whether the state pays for them, or whether taxpayers do”
What’s the difference?
There is a cost to having kids, and this is just one of those costs. Just because you have kids that need to get to school does not mean that the taxpayers should automatically pay for it. rich or poor should have nothing to do with this because we’re all equal…. right?