First of all, I do not have kids in the Minneapolis Public Schools, but I did have. And those kids first walked to the local school - even came home for lunch - then rode the first Hale-Field buses for integration purposed and finally walked to the local high school.
Leaving aside the whole integration part of this which I agreed with, the cost always drove me crazy. Many years ago I heard that the school district was spending $20 million a year on busing - I don't know what the number is today, but I suspect it is much higher. Do you know how many teachers that would fund? You can't tell me the school district wouldn't be better off with more teachers and fewer kids per class.
As I go to work in the morning all I see is yellow buses going hither and yon. There is also an infrastructure damage component to this practice as well as an environmental one. There used to be a lady on TV who would scream about everything "Stop the insanity." Well, maybe the first place is to "Stop the buses!"
Jan Del Calzo
Lynnhurst
