Just Hold You Horses

Schools eye four-day week to cut fuel costs Lifestyle Living Reuters:

"Cutting out one day of school has been the key to preserving educational programs and staff in parts of Kentucky, New Mexico and Minnesota, outweighing some parents' concerns about finding day-care for the day off."

I think the school district is missing a great $$ raising opportunity. they should do what our school district pushed thru on the parents --- district ran before/after school care.

Here's how it works:

First you announce to the parents that the schedule is changing before getting any comments/concerns/feedback from them.

then hold the meetings and explain how it is because they didn't pass the last tax hike so you really have no choice, how you are forced into doing this but you really don't want to (parents will call it blackmail, but the school board should call it 'preemptive strategy') ...

however make sure the district already has set up a district ran Before/After for $ school care center with full staff immediately after the change is announced. Those qualifying for reduced/free lunches however get the care for free - need to punish those people paying higher taxes you know.

since our area has an average of 18months waiting list for school-aged daycare, the district gets to clean up .... not to mention the fact that kids who would normally not get a bus ride to school will now qualify to get a ride if the parents drop the kids off at the daycare.

Make sure you charge full-time daycare prices for part-time care.
(((-)))-(((-)))-(((-)))-(((-)))-(((-)))
Okay that was all pretty tongue-in-cheek.

But that is what happened when our district decided to switch school start times in our districts.

When they decided that it was okay to have kindergartners waiting outside before the winter sun comes up -- and I have to admit that I am lucky in that our buses (so far) have stopped at the property and my kids do not need to walk to a corner as they did when we were inner-city (that was scary).

I am going to keep an eye on this though because they erected a 'bus stop' sign along the freeway by our cornfield ... but when I called right away (worried that the kids would have to stand there along one of the high accident corners) I was assured that it was not for my kids but for a daycare across the highway (?)

So I will be keeping and eye on it, and probably get into one or two arguments with the Transportation department, the bus drivers, and the district over it.

BUT I was very glad to find out that we were able to pay for our daughter to ride the bus again this year instead of being forced to walk along the highway to get to the high school.

yes our district is charging us twice for the same service - they get the money for the buses thru taxes AND our wallet.