Carpool vs. Bus. WWYD?

[anonomom]

DD1 starts first grade in two weeks. Due to some radical budget cuts to education (coupled with a new and incoherent student assignment plan), bus routes have been cut significantly and the schools' bell schedules have been changed. And as information comes out, I'm trying to decide what to do about DD and the bus.

Some background: Last year our school started at 7:45 am and the middle school with which we share a campus started about 30 minutes later. This year, they proposed to start the ES at 9:15 am and the MS at 7:45 am. As you'd imagine, parents were FURIOUS that the schools would be starting 90 minutes apart, so hissy fits were thrown. They decided to move the Elementary bell to 7:35. To accomplish this, they said that the schools would share buses.

To this point, I was 100% on board. I don't really mind DD riding the bus with middle schoolers so unless and until it becomes a problem, I figured it would be fine.

What I didn't consider was how they'd actually share buses with differing bell schedules. Basically, the middle schoolers have to get to school earlier so the elementary kids won't be late, then at the end of the day the elementary students are held at school until the middle school is dismissed. DD's school day will end at 2:05; buses will begin boarding at 2:25.

Now I'm not sure what to do. I don't mind the mixed-age buses, but I don't love the idea of DD sitting outside on the curb for 20 minutes every day. The school is encouraging parents to use the buses (they estimate that there will be a minimum of 700 cars going through the campus at each dropoff/pickup), but doing so means that DD1 will get home from school at least a half hour later than if I just picked her up.

Bussing is definitely more convenient for me. It means only having to drag the other kids down the street instead of loading them in the car. But I"m not really sure if it's the best thing for DD1. I'm wondering what y'all would choose?

(I should be clear; I'm not mad and it's not my intention to complain. Our schools are trying their best to deal with the bad hand they've been dealt this year. No matter what, something has to give and probably a bunch of middle-class kids sitting on the curb for 20 minutes is the most benign "harm" among many other possibilities.)

[SnuggleBuggles]

It's faster for me to pick ds1 up but the convenience of the bus always wins for us. I imagine that your school will work out a system (may take a few weeks but I'd be patient) to handle the staggered dismissal. I'd do the bus.

[dogmom]

Do you know exactly what the plans are for the kids to be "held"? We had one bus doing two schools close together with same dismissal times, but that easily meant kids standing out in bus groups for 10 minutes or so. They had a whole system in place and the kids were kept in line. Mostly the kids just spent the time socializing with their friends in bus line and it helped teach them to follow directions and be patient. I would really wait and see how this is handled at school. It also depends how pick up is handled at your school. Our school was from the 50's and 70's and so not set up for parent pick up, with the buses and cars sharing the same area, that there was severe limitations on pick up for kid safety. It meant if I picked up the kids I got home about 3 minute before the bus and I had to sit in my car for 20 minutes, not worth it.

[KrisM]

It would depend on how long the bus ride is, I think.

We have 2 elem. schools that share a bus. In the morning, it picks up kids and then drops off at K-2 and then at 3-5. So, those 3-5 kids are on longer just riding around. In the afternoon, it picks up K-2, then 3-5, and our specific bus then goes back to K-2 with the after care kids to drop them off. My 1st grader will get out of school at 3:50 and not get off the bus until 4:20. We can actually walk home faster than the bus gets her home :). But, she likes the bus, it's really more convenient, etc, so she rides it. Likewise, in the morning, the kids get on at 8:40, DD starts school at 8:50 and DS1 at 9:00. Clearly, we have a short ride :).

I would be picking them up if they were further down the route and on the bus for 40 minutes or so.

On the other hand, our high and middle schools share a bus, but start 30 minutes apart, due to location. One set of kids has an extra 30 minutes in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Most people carpool on the long end here.

Why do they not end at the same time, since they're right there?

[anonomom]

I'm re-reading the guidelines now. If I understand correctly, the elementary kids will be loaded onto the buses as soon as school ends. Then they will wait for the middle schoolers to be dismissed and be loaded onto the buses.

As for ride time, it's anyone's guess. Last year, DD got out of school at 2:15 and was usually dropped off around 2:35. This year, they've revamped the bussing system and the school assignment system and it's a little chaotic. Some kids who live less than 2 miles from school are riding the bus for more than 40 minutes because the routes are much longer now. We don't know yet how our bus route will be affected. We won't know until school starts (the year round schools here have been in session since early July).

[Tanya]

I dont' know if this will help or not, but this is how our schools are...

K-12 ride the same buses. I about had a heart attack when my oldest started kindergarten. The elementary schools are the hubs. So, everyone rides the bus to the elementary school. From there, the elem. kids get off, then the older kids change buses if they need to so that they take one of the buses going to the school they need to go to.

As a result, our elementary school has the longest day of all the schools. We live super close the elem. school, so my kids' ride is short since they are the last to be picked up and first dropped off. Next year, my oldest goes to the next school, so she'll have an additional bus ride of maybe 20 minutes? Obviously, they won't have to make stops to pick up kids since the bus will already be loaded.

So, as far as time goes, they get to school about 30 minutes before school starts, so some kids go to breakfast or they can do some early work or play games. After school ends, they have about 15 minutes before they load on the buses and they go out into the pod (center area between all of that grade's classrooms) and watch movies.
It is what it is. It's different than I was used to, but my daughter has never complained about these extra times.
I *could* drive or walk her to school and pick her up, but she likes the bus and it's just not that big of a deal. She's shy, so it may even be good for her.

As far as the age of kids, that worried me more. However, the first 4 rows behind the driver are reserved for K and 1st. My 2nd daughter just started kindy this year and she's riding the bus. This is my oldest's 5th year riding the bus and we have never had a single problem with any kids on the busy. We had a different driver starting last year and she assigned seats last year. I admit though that my kids have a short ride of less than 15 minutes to school and probably closer to 5 or 10 on the way home.

I can't imagine that they'd truly let kids sit on the curb. That would be dangerous. Our kids don't go out until the buses are all parked and in fact, my neighbor and I got yelled at on the first day because we walked up to meet the bus and take pictures of our kindergarteners getting off and we walked between two parked buses which isn't allowed for safety reasons. The buses were all there and parked and were unloading at that point.

[wellyes]

That's an annoying situation, I'm sorry.

For the sake of your convenience & the other kids, I'd try the bus. Hopefully she'll get a buddy she hangs out with regularly while they're waiting--- that kind of peer play in downtime is a highlight of school.

I'd definitely sign up for it, at least. You can always pick her up any day you want to, right? And if, after a few weeks, it is consistently really boring or unpleasant or frustrating for her, you can switch to picking her up every day.

[carolinamama]

20 minutes wouldn't really bother me, I don't think. What is the system for carpoolers? I know at the schools here, the carpoolers go to the gym at dismissal and wait for their number to be called. Unless you are at the very front of the line, the wait for them in the gym where they have to sit quietly without much socialization so everyone can hear the numbers, can be atleast 20+ minutes. To be at the front of the line means that you get to the school atleast 30-45 minutes before dismissal and wait.

So your DD could be waiting one way or the other. As a kid, I always rode the bus and I never had a problem with the time on the bus so I would probably give that a try.

[Simon]

I would pack a snack for her to eat in the afternoon and let her try the bus to see if she enjoyed socializing with friends. That can make a big difference. Ds1 loved the social aspects of the bus ride and there was good discipline so it made me comfortable.

I would give it a try and only switch to a carpool later if it wasn't working.