Comments on: AAPS: Which Bus Route to Take?

By: Concerned Citizen

Concerned Citizen — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:22:11 +0000

The consultants working on this proposal are working directly for Sodrel Transportation, a private company that has already privitized several major school districts in the MidWest. Look it up.

While the changes and improvements to operations and efficiencies have merit and should be implemented under a new Washtenaw County level organization, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should ANY part of that new organization be put under private control (ownership, cost savings sharing, no-bid contracts, etc).

ALL SAVINGS and gains should be returned to the schools districts and students and CONTROL of consolidated operations must be maintained by the county school management who are responsible to you, the parents and citizens, NOT privitizers whose ONLY interest is short-term profit.

Improve how things are done, but beware.

By: schoolsmuse

schoolsmuse — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:50:32 +0000

Had I thought of it, I would have! And I agree with you.

By: Fred Zimmerman

Fred Zimmerman — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:19:04 +0000

Schoolsmuse, I was almost certain that you were going to say that the bus drivers were going to be thrown under the bus. ;-)

The way they are being treated is unconscionable.

By: schoolsmuse

schoolsmuse — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 13:03:17 +0000

I feel badly for the bus drivers, who stand to be thrown into a mess of uncertainty and lower compensation.
In order for the consolidation to go forward, the WISD needs both Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti (whose school board is discussing this tonight) to sign on. I see this as an opportunity for the school boards to set conditions. for instance, they could both say that they will only go ahead with the project if the WISD agrees to a)hire by seniority, in accordance with the size of each of the districts (say, if 25% of the total student body is going to Ypsilanti schools then they will hire 25% Ypsilanti drivers) and b) as job openings come open, offer them first to those bus drivers who were laid off. That’s only one example, and there are likely others, that would be a way to show good will and true interest in the drivers.