Follow ups

Before school started we heard about a new peer tutoring program at McClure. How's that working out?

Before school started we heard that Whitman was going to dissolve their 7th and 8th grade Spectrum classes. How's that working out?

How is transportation going? All smoothed out?

Are the schedules for secondary students smoothed out? Do kids still need to fill their schedules with classes?

What about the school software? Is that working now?

Comments

Eric B said…
Schedules at Ingraham are being corrected still. The class that peaked at 47 or so students is down to 42, and counselors are working to get that to a more manageable number. My daughter had a scheduling problem, and I can't say enough good things about teachers and counselors working together to fix it.
Anonymous said…
The QA/Mag am shuttle to IHS is full before it gets to the school. The seats are taken by at least 3 students, and also they stay/sit in the isle with their huge backpacks and sport bags. According to my student the driver took a picture of the crowd yesterday and he also said he hopes to have a second bus set up for this route because he thinks it is not safe to drive the bus like this.
IHS mom
Anonymous said…
Wait lists moving slowly. For schools whose funding depends on meeting an enrollment number, it stinks. There is a theory that Downtown holds counts back and down as a backdoor way to handle budget stress. Add the failed ontime launch of the enrollment software system and blood boils.

Dad disgruntled
Louise said…
Why is transportation being provided to high school? I thought HS students just got Metro passes.
Anonymous said…
The Source is up, except still nothing for recent assessments. I I thought the MAPS testing was about getting real-time data?

SPS Parent
Maureen said…
Louise, Metro service to some neighborhoods at some times of day is so intermittent that kids wouldn't be able to get to school on time so SPS runs some yellow buses to some HSs (often just in the morning.) IHS and GHS are also special cases because APP kids go there from all over the city so are both more likely to live outside the walk zone and to live so far away that Metro would take hours. I know the state pays for 1-8 APP transportation. I'm not sure if they pay for 9th-12th graders (especially to GHS since there is no "program" there.)?

(Yellow buses aren't just for APP, I believe RHS runs one from Laurelhurst in the morning.)
Anonymous said…
We are in SPS twilight zone. 6th grader was assigned to school last spring, then removed. Took all summer to get her back in, then showed up 1st day to find school has no record of enrollment. Must say staff at HIMS were great, esp the 6th grade counselor.

Younger kid never got transportation. Emailed & called several times, finally today she was given bus, but only till 9/22?!? Back to the emailing.

Yellow bus from Laurelhurst to RHS? Things have changed. My friend lived in Laurelhurst, had to walk because not 2 miles away as the crow flies. Didn't matter that she wasn't a crow. Told her she should volunteer to be bused down south like me. Is SPS measuring distance in human terms now?

CCA

Anonymous said…
QA/Mag am IHS yellow bus shuttle takes the students to IHS regardless of which program they attend: regular, IB, IBX. Otherwise the students would need to to go downtown and change there to the bus to IHS which could take more than an hour plus would make the Metro buses more crowded. They use the Metro in the afternoon though..
IHS mom
Maureen said…
CCA, You have to live at least 2.5 miles away from the school to get either a Metro card or a yellow bus. I think it's still as the crow flies (We're 2.5 miles according to Google, but had to pay for son's Metro pass to RHS because they said we were too close.)
Anonymous said…
Why are you asking about the tutoring and the removal of Spectrum courses barely 3 weeks in? Is this another witch hunt expedition?

_Mystified
Anonymous said…
Too soon to tell regarding the new Spectrum set up at Whitman. My child likes the teacher, though. I inquired with the teacher regarding the approach for differentiated teaching and was told in would vary depending on the unit/topic and any questions were welcome throughout the year. Sounds like there was a plan in place.

There has really been no homework yet and seems to be ramping up a little slow, but otherwise, no red flags yet.

Waiting
Anonymous said…
The Laurelhurst kids we know at RHS, ride metro to the top of veiw ridge then walk to Laurelhurst. I don't think there is a yellow bus doing that route.

-RHS parent
seattle citizen said…
Mystified - I can't speak for Charlie, but as a regular reader of this blog I know that he is interested in policy being followed and in plans being acted upon after they are announced. If you read this very often, you will have seen Charlie's threads and comments that ask about promised actions. It's not a witch hunt: His reminders merely point out that actions have been promised and we are all waiting to see what comes of them.
Of course as a huge district with many employees things don't always come about as planned, but without external bird-dogging such as Charlie's, things often just disappear. While I can name several successful district initiatives and plans, I can also name same several that seem to have disappeared.
As these proposed plans and actions often require many hours of district and volunteer attention, it is a good thing that people ask, what about them? This discourages (one hopes) wasted effort and unfulfilled promises.
Anonymous said…
In response to IHS mom,

The Capitol Hill/Northwest Seattle shuttle is the same way, super crowded. Hopefully the district will add an additional bus to that route as well. The shuttles in the afternoon only go to Northgate or North Beach which is slightly easier than metro for connections to home. We were told that the buses are funded and there because of APP but anyone can ride, which makes it a super convient option for families.

IHS family
Maureen said…
RHS parent, In the morning do they walk up to View Ridge and ride Metro?
PM said…
I emailed transportation on 8/25 to initiate the use of an alternate address. This was the same address that we used last year. I have also called twice, including yesterday, and my child has not been assigned the correct stop yet.
Charlie Mas said…
witchhunt? No. Just asking how things are going. Since when is that a loaded question?


If the answer is "too soon to tell" then that's the answer. The answer could also be "wonderful!" or "horrible!" or even, "doesn't seem any different"
Jet City mom said…
I would rather see them fund summer school rather than bus kids out of their neighborhood.
I agree that Ingraham is a pita to reach by Metro.
In what may have been the last summer that summer school was offered, my daughter needed to take a math class to catch up.
( she always got at least Bs in math, but she had started behind)
She was assigned to a class at Franklin, but the teacher didnt show up & it took several days for me to find out.
( Franklin kept giving the kids the run around , trying to make them believe it was always like that & would be ok)
Apparently according to the district it was too late to hire another teacher, so I had a fit until they opened up a few spaces for the kids at Ingraham, the only other school that was teaching summer school that we could afford.
Metro took hours to come from the south end.
Jet City mom said…
But without that class, she wouldn't have been able to take chemistry her jr yr & pre Calc & physics her senior yr and so be prepared for college.

I thought the district was going to work with metro to redo some routes to better serve the public?
Anonymous said…
Has anyone heard about the new district requirement that volunteer chaperones for overnight trips for school activities will be required to be electronically finger printed at the Stanford Ctr. at a cost of $43 to the volunteer? So they are charging us for volunteering to chaperone our kids' field trips, and it seems making money on it. I heard that this was a school board decision. Do you have any info in this Charlie? Gen Ed Mom
Anonymous said…
I don't think they will be making money. It costs to fingerprint and run a background check. They're now passing the cost onto you. Nothing is free.

kp
Anonymous said…
Not finding mention about end user fees for fingerprinting. Here is an updated (August 2013) FAQ about background checks

More About Volunteer Screening and Background Checks

Ann D
Anonymous said…
I don't think it should cost that much. That seems excessive. I could be wrong. Gen Ed Mom
Anonymous said…
I don't know what is completed in the background check. According to the WATCH website, background check by name and DOB mailed in is $17. Fingerprint is $26. If they run both, that would be $43. If they only do fingerprint, then it does seem like an extra cost but maybe there are other admin costs not covered. Again, there is a cost to running these background checks and the district is passing it on.

Kp
Anonymous said…
If passing along the cost fine. But having to go to SODO, take time off of work to fit within their hours. That is an additional cost outside of the $43 that many parents will not be able to make.

I do understand and appreciate the additional safety measure, but don't understand why it can not be performed at our local school vs. having to take time off work, to make it work.

-StepJ
joanna said…
Background checks for volunteers was pretty standard especially for overnight chaperons, when my kids were in school and they graduated from HS in 2003 and 2004. I am not sure how the costs should be handled, but it is necessary.
Anonymous said…
Background checks are standard anywhere people work with kids, and I'm all for them! What's new this year is the cost, the finger prints and having to go downtown to get them. If the real cost is $43 I stand corrected. It would certainly be better if people could do this in their neighborhood rather than having to go downtown. Don't we want to encourage volunteering? This is a big hoop to jump through. I wonder what is the benefit to having finger prints over a 50 state background check? What information will prints provide us that a 50 state check won't? Will this really make our kids safer or is there some other reason for it ? Anyone know? Gen Ed Mom
Anonymous said…
Maureen,

I see a few Laurelhurst kids at the View Ridge metro stops in the morning, but the kids we know get dropped off at school by parents in the am.

RHS parent
mirmac1 said…
Obviously there was an incident that led to this change in policy. I'm all for reducing risk to our students. Fingerprints are required for federal TSA clearance. That's good enough for me. Perhaps PTAs should budget funds to defray the cost.
Anonymous said…
Great they are screening. Better if they ramp up volunteer training to include gag order to stop sharing student personal and academic info with other parents and students. Heavy emphasis to volunteers in the office and classrooms. Too much gossip.

ear muffs







Maureen said…
Thanks for that link, Ann D. It seems to separate out the finger printing process and gives much less detail (as though having parents chaperone overnight trips is exceedingly rare.) As part of the "WATCH process description though it says:

In rare
cases when a person’s name matches too many results in the WATCH system, the Page 2 of 4
Washington State Patrol requires the school to acquire a thumbprint from the volunteer
and send the request through U.S. Mail.


I wonder if it would be possible for school employees to collect fingerprints and send them downtown?

In the link it says that parents have to go through the WATCH process every two years. If they have to drive downtown and stand in line to be fingerprinted every two years (and pay $43!), I don't think most of the camping programs at our schools will survive.

I agree with earmuffs, but I'm not sure training is enough. Principals need to consistently call people on gossip.
WMS/Spectrum parent said…
From my son at Whitman, his teacher basically said that the spectrum kids would be graded on a higher standard and that was it, but haven't talked to the teacher herself and word of mouth from the kids can be sketchy
Good news is that she has pretty high standards for the all the kids based on her syllabus
mirmac1 said…
ear muffs

That will just get worse with relaxation of FERPA and your kids personally identifiable information and educational records wide open to any volunteer with a password. The goal is to have your kid's info on a handy data dashboard. That's the Road Map Project.
Someone said…
@PM - out of curiosity, did you get assigned ANY stop or just not the one you wanted? If was just not the one you were requesting there's a pretty simple answer - routes change every year as kids come and go - it may be that Transportation is no longer able to give you the same specific stop you had last year.

Also, the same scheduling software issues that have impacted enrollment are also being felt in Transportation - some delays in route planning etc are because the correct info is not making it to all the necessary parties.
Anonymous said…
The goal is to have your kid's info on a handy data dashboard. That's the Road Map Project.

Baloney Mirmac1. That is not the goal.

CCER Fan
Maureen said…
CCER fan, I'll accept that is not the goal (I presume that is to have data to use to evaluate interventions and programs that impact kids so we know what really works), but isn't it likely to be a feature of the project? I really value the use of good data in program and policy evaluation, but I am concerned about privacy issues. I looked over the Road Map web site and I don't see that concern directly addressed.
SPSLeaks said…
Who has a copy of the new cert contract?!

please email to spsleaks@gmail.com
mirmac1 said…
Road Map application

pg 62:

"Extensive data use has allowed us to bring focus to specific challenges and given us the ability to then target the work needed to achieve rapid progress. All of this information has been presented extensively to educators, parents, youth development organizations, business leaders, and others. We strongly believe in using data to drive improvement in student achievement and support the
engagement of stakeholders across sectors in the work."

pg 66:

"set the stage for a new data system to monitor student progress, including providing information on the quality of the educator workforce, monitoring and analyzing the costs of programs, providing for financial integrity and accountability, and ensuring the capability to link across data components statewide and by student, class, teacher, school, and
district. Assisted by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, OSPI has been working on the state’s Comprehensive Education Data and Research System (CEDARS), a longitudinal data warehouse and integrated educational data system. The system will help educators assess student progress, will inform school districts, state and federal decision-makers, and will provide transparent
information to parents and the public. Inputs to the system will come from districts, who will report data on courses, students, and teachers. Student data includes demographics, enrollment information, schedules, grades, and program participation."

pg 134:

"Project Goals and Strategies...
4. 4. Make information available to parents, students, and community-based organizations. Parents and students will be able to access data through a specially built parent/student portal. This platform will be used to encourage collaboration among students, parents, and educators as they plan a successful program for students... Community-based organizations will use a specifically designed portal to access the information they need about students and to enter information useful to schools. Smaller organizations often do not have data analysts on staff, so a well designed graphic interface will help them understand their caseload, overall organizational data, and individual student data."
Anonymous said…
CCER complies with all student data privacy laws.

CCER Fan
mirmac1 said…
Yeah, the new student privacy law has been gutted. Essentially it has turned every data point in your child's record into "directory information", available to outside contractors and consultants who need only have a password to access.

Here is a recent account of a cyberattack on a parent portal in Kentucky.

Kentucky Parent Portal is Targeted in Unprecedented Cyberattack

"n unprecedented and coordinated worldwide cyberattack on part of the Kentucky Department of Education Infinite Campus, known to parents as the Parent Portal, targeted select small to medium-size districts in Eastern Kentucky this week.
Anonymous said…
Re privacy, in 1st day package from Hamilton, there is a records release form that allow the YMCA tocc access my child's records. Looks like if I sign the afterschool program run by the Y would be able to look at all records includingbeverything on thec Source. Why? Does anyone know? I was going to sign her up for some activities, but this squicks me out. Why should the Y have access to so much private information?

If I don't want to give them access, do I need to send letter/ forn stating I don't agree to givevthem access?
CCA
mirmac1 said…
CCA,

The Road Map Project (RMP) told the DOE that the seven districts have all this philanthropy:

"Funding to support improvement in education in the Road Map region comes from many sources other than the public sector. A 2011 survey of education funders reinforced that our region has a strong philanthropic sector and nonprofit organizations dedicated to both providing and coordinating funding to achieve regional Goals. These funders typically invest over $23 million annually. Many are now aligning their investment priorities with the Road Map Project and are using the same performance metrics."

Of course the bulk of this is from us taxpayers. The FEL is specifically called out as a "community partner" in the RMP. The FEL service providers will have their own portal to your child's personally identifiable information. Who the heck will be looking at this information?!?

Yes, it is chilling.
mirmac1 said…
As parents, we need to put our collective foot down on this garbage. Road Map is offering 15 cents on the dollar in "one-time" start up funds for various Gates pet projects. In return, 10 years worth of every student's information will go CCER, without the parents' permission.

SPS involvement in this scam is totally elective.
Anonymous said…
My 4th grader takes the bus from Magnolia to QAE. Last year our bus stop was awesome! This year she is assigned to one that is .47 miles away (per MapQuest), which might be ok but half of that is a steep 3-block-long hill.

I walk that route with the dog sometimes and after the leaves fall that 3-block-long hill is covered with leaves and slicker than snot. (It's on the side and outside the fences of homes so I think homeowners just forget about raking.)

Uphill, it is a slog. I took it with the dog the other day and we were both panting hard all the way up. I'm old but the dog isn't.

Plus her arrival time is 4:18, pretty dark in the winter, with that uphill climb and 1/2 mile to go.

I asked for a new stop (nothing is closer, so it would mean re-routing) but was told nothing would happen until at least October, and maybe nothing period. So my question is: do I push for it or suck it up? I won't make her do that walk on her own and I am frankly not doing it twice a day to meet her, so I'll figure out a way to drive her if need be. But I wonder how hard to push for something better. Maybe this is the norm and we just need to deal.

Wondering Mom
Anonymous said…
My daughter started Hamilton this year. Her elective schedule was not something we requested. She is in the class she doesn't want to be and she has to eat lunch with 7th graders because of this. It seems like they don't want to help us. The beginning of middle school is something different than I was imagined and it is quite disappointing.

new to hamilton
Eric B said…
Wondering Mom, you'll need to at least ask again after October 1. Historically, Transportation seems to have had a "say no the first time" policy. I don't think you'll find out what's possible until you ask a couple of times.
Anonymous said…
Anon @2:54

My impression is that this year is worse than usual. Probably due to the influx of 100+ new students over their usual cap. Their policy is that they will switch electives on a space available basis (stated on the HIMS website). There still appear to be numerous kids working on reorganizing their schedules so I would keep requesting on the assumption that kids are still moving around and the registrar is still in triage mode. My 7th grader has reported all kinds of weird scheduling anomalies among her friends - she was put in Spanish III from Spanish I but she finds the class accessible so will tentatively stay there.

hang in there

Anonymous said…
If my 6th grader were forced into a different lunch period because of an elective, not by choice as happens when students play up a level in band for example, I'd push to have it changed. It can be hard to be isolated from friends at lunch, especially as a 6th grader.

-squeaky wheel
Anonymous said…
In return, 10 years worth of every student's information will go CCER, without the parents' permission.

Mirmac's comment is misleading, because it sounds as though SPS and CCER are passing information around when they are not entitled to do so.

There is a long list, by federal law, of entities who may view a student's individual education record without consent of a student's guardians. No permission is necessary.

These entities include but are not limited to law authorities, accrediting agencies, organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of a school, and agencies contracted to provide support services to students.

Perhaps Mirmac disagrees with this federal law and wishes to pursue a change. But SPS and CCER do nothing illegal nor unusual ---- at the local, regional or national level ---- in their handling of data.

A more productive discussion on the blog would be an education campaign on the many places student data is shared. I agree that most parents will be surprised, and some subset will be unhappy. Data privacy is a topic on which families will have varying sensitivities. However, given current law, sensitive families will have little recourse in prohibiting the sharing of data.

Your child's grades, classes, attendance, test scores, disciplinary record, special education and (or) advanced learning information and more information, may in fact be shared with non-SPS entities frequently.

But Mirmac's use of words such as scam and garbage do not promote a thorough discussion on the topic.

CCER Fan
Anonymous said…
The big concerns are your middle school students being separated from friends at lunch period & not having an elective schedule straightened out in the first full week of school & having to walk three blocks up a steep leafy sidewalk?

Aren't y'all adorable!

Southie
mirmac1 said…
CCER Fan,

You confuse "legitimate educational interest" with Arne Duncan's corruption of a Federal Law that, in fact, has not changed; only his twisted and far-fetched interpretation of it.

Your benign listing of entities that were previously considered to have a legitimate education interest, did not include parties like FEL service providers. Their inclusion was only in Arne's and BMGF/CCER's wet dreams - supposedly agents that are conducting "studies and research". Agencies that do NOT have internal controls to ensure your child's personally-identifiable information (PII) does not land in the hands of a Jerry Sandusky can now, by virtue of signing onto the City's rather scattered FEL implementation, make that data available to un-vetted employees and volunteers.

Interestingly, the data CCER used to prepare its RTTT taxpayer handout, was provided before Arne undermined FERPA privacy regulations. Too bad the officials paid by us to enforce federal protections are too lazy or bedazzled by BS to do their job.

Weighted words? Appropriately so. What about "varying sensitivities"...? You wish to blow smoke into parents' eyes.

The YMCA does not have a "legitimate educational interest."
Anonymous said…
Follow up on Rainier Beach HS in today's ST (just started its 1st year of the IB program)

http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2021820440_schooleditorialnotebook14xml.html

Ending a hard week with high hopes :)
-Reader
Syd said…
I am confused about busing provided for HS students. I thought all HS students got Metro cards.

My Garfield APP child did not get yellow bus transportation, and the Metro trip is a three bus, two transfer, 1 hour and 10 minute trip. We live in the south end.

It sounds like there are different rules for different neighborhoods.

Anonymous said…
Ummm.... yeap!

Should we talk about Othello station in the dark or pedestrian crossings on MLK? Nah, aliens we be.

district 9
Anonymous said…
Othello Station in the dark—won't go there. I took the light rail on Thursday to a conference downtown. Parked my car in the "lot" at 7:30 AM, and had my hubby pick it up on his way home from work (he usually takes the bus). I made him pick me up downtown at 10:30 PM. There was no way I was taking the train or waiting at the Othello Station that late at night.

I certainly would not want my child waiting there on dark winter mornings or evenings. When you ride the LR south from downtown, you pass Danny Vega's Hair Salon as a constant reminder that the area is not safe after dark.

Solvay Girl
Anonymous said…
Syd,

Here's a link to the transportation service standards. Pages 5, 9 and 10 list situations where a high school student might receive yellow bus transportation.

Home

Lynn
Anonymous said…
Well that didn't work.

Transportation

Lynn
Anonymous said…
So maybe just search on the district website for Transportation Service Standards. And I won't do this from my phone anymore.

Lynn
Leadership Needed said…
Intersting comments from CCER Fan. We need to keep folks involved with CCER off of the board.
Sell Out said…
"A more productive discussion on the blog would be an education campaign on the many places student data is shared. I agree that most parents will be surprised, and some subset will be unhappy. Data privacy is a topic on which families will have varying sensitivities. However, given current law, sensitive families will have little recourse in prohibiting the sharing of data.'



Very twisted comment from CCER Fan.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Disgusted said…
Parents should have the option of dictating which individuals that have access to discipine and their children's social service records- not bureaucrats and those with dollars.

It is the folks with dollars and influence that create laws to take away our children's privacy.
Protective Parent said…
How does CCER Fan know that only a small subset of parents would be upset? Parents do not know that their children's discipline and social service records are being shared?

Blanford supports the CCER agreement and Estey has worked on Road Map project.
Syd said…
From the Transportation Service Standards pdf on the SPS sie:
High Schools - High School students who live within the boundaries of the Seattle Public
School District and who live more than 2.5 miles from their assigned school are eligible for
an ORCA card.
Exceptions are allowed in the following areas:
a. Students who require specialized transportation services as determined by their
Individualized Education Program (I.E.P.).
b. Students requiring medical transportation as approved by District Health Services.

From this information I still can't explain the differences for QA and Seward Park/Lakewood APP students, never mind the students who are riding because there is a bus coming that way anyway (my interpretation of this post: QA/Mag am IHS yellow bus shuttle takes the students to IHS regardless of which program they attend: regular, IB, IBX. Otherwise the students would need to to go downtown and change there to the bus to IHS which could take more than an hour plus would make the Metro buses more crowded. They use the Metro in the afternoon though..
IHS mom)
Anonymous said…
There's been a yellow bus to take HS students from Magnolia to Ballard HS in the morning for several years now. The reason I heard were overcrowded metro buses in the am and not easily accessible metro bus stops. You had to take a bus out of Magnolia heading south into the city, get off on 15th ave., cross a very busy 15th to catch a bus heading north toward Ballard. I thought the yellow buses from Ballard to IHS were originally to help all those students who would have gone to Ballard HS (much closer to their homes), but got reassigned to IHS with zonal redraw. Those students had to make multiple transfers, on unsavory Aurora ave., and still walk a fair bit to get to IHS.
** It helps too if you have many savvy parents bugging transportation for a yellow bus service**
~squeaked wheel
Anonymous said…
Syd:
Maybe there are less than 20 students going to Garfield from your area?
See Anon at 10:25AM.
IHS mom
Maureen said…
I have heard that Wallingford parents have chartered a bus to drive kids to IHS and that they pay about $50 a month. They had been carpooling. I have been told the bus makes three stops in Wallingford. I didn't ask how many kids ride it.
Syd said…
No - there are more than 20 kids in APP going to Garfield from my neighborhood.

Besides all the students riding the QA bus would have to have either an IEP or a medical exemption to qualify for bus service at all.

I don't see how limited Metro bus service applies in the service standards, although I do think riding the 50 to Rainier, transferring to the 7, riding to the transfer station at McClellen, and then transferring to the 48 seems as difficult as the route you have described. Again, not sure how that comes into it. It is not even a good reason for an excused tardy when missing one or more of the transfers let alone reassignment to a yellow bus.

I don't get it.

Syd said…
I should have read further down the doc before responding.

SPACE AVAILABLE TRANSPORTATION:

1. The granting of space available will be at the discretion of the Transportation Specialists.

I see how it is.
Syd said…
And the appendix is very clear:

Ingraham students residing in the SW portion of the Ingraham attendance area, west of 15
th
Ave
NW, shall receive District arranged transportation service to school. ORCA cards shall be
provided for afternoon transportation requirements.
3. Ingraham students residing outside the Ingraham attendance area may receive supplemental
District arranged transportation to augment ORCA cards as required.

Reading is fundamental.
Anonymous said…
Southie,

Maybe you should sweat the details too. You'd be surprised how much your kids would appreciate it.

-Save your snark
Anonymous said…
I don't know of any school bus, or Metro bus now going from Magnolia to Ballard. Is there really still such a thing? Which route is it? Where does it go? I don't think this exists any longer.

There is a "custom Metro" bus, for private school students, the 994, which goes from Magnolia to Ballard. You can't get on it with a regular Orca card.

Magnolia Resident
PM said…
Someone--

They assigned my kid to a route based on our home address, not his address for childcare purposes. So far, I have been able to pick him up and drive him, but that is not sustainable in the long term with my work schedule.
Anonymous said…
Here's a kooky idea: why doesn't Metro increase service or even add routes to serve the high school traffic in the a.m.? The kids are paying customers, after all. Is it because youth-fare ORCA cards won't pay for the service even if buses are pretty full?

It looks like a business opportunity for Metro to me, but maybe the numbers don't add up.
mirmac1 said…
Lisa,

What I heard was "SPS kids are a money-loser". Yeah, well, in general public transit is a money loser. Taxpayers carry the bill so take care of our kids.
Anonymous said…
As I understand it, fares, especially youth fares, don't begin to cover the cost of operating Metro. Funding from the county, through tax revenue, is the primary income for Metro. With the drop in sales and other tax revenues, Metro has already cut services and with the next budget cycle is likely to cut hundreds of thousands of hours of service. This will mean the loss of many routes and severe cuts to others. County budget season is coming up so anyone who relies on buses to get around should pay close attention.

Next year things are going to get a lot worse.

Two cars

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