Transportation and School Choice
At a meeting yesterday, one of the participants brought up an issue that's crucial but easy to overlook: how transportation options affect school choice.
The No Child Left Behind Act requires that "children in schools in need of improvement must be given the opportunity to transfer to other public schools in their district, including public charter schools. School districts must tell parents about this option, as well as pay for transportation to the other schools."
The Act further requires that "children from low-income families who attend schools that have been identified as "in need of improvement" for two or more consecutive years are given the opportunity to receive free supplemental services—such as tutoring and other academic services provided outside the regular school day—from a variety of State-approved providers. Parents have the opportunity to choose the provider that best meets the needs of their children." And it mandates that "Districts must set aside an amount equal to 20 percent of their Title I allocation for supplemental services and transportation for public school choice."
I don't know the statistics, but I suspect that many school districts have trouble implementing these requirements in any but the most minimal way. Using school buses for all such transportation needs is expensive and inflexible. An intensive and reliable public transportation system—as in New York City and Chicago—is an invaluable alternative. Ironically, in Minnesota, where fervor for school choice is perhaps the greatest in the nation, the public transportation system (most notably in the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs) is woefully inadequate. It's a fine example of one socio-political priority undermining another.