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by LLRucker from Mt. Dora

Last Post 25 days, 11 hours Ago


Orange County's Busing Plan
May 7, 2008 | 8:34 AM
Category: News
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Can someone tell me exactly how they came to this brilliant conclusion?
OCPS is pushing to have the middle and high schoolers exchange starting times, claiming that by so doing they will be saving over three million dollars a year. How? I guess I'm just too dense to figure this one out. I mean, so they send the middle schoolers out at 6:30 a.m. to catch the bus for school, and the high schoolers get to sleep in until 8:30, how pray tell does that equate to a three million dollar savings?
Are they hoping that a third of the high schoolers will drop out because of the change, thus eliminating a few thousand students, therefore eliminating the need for the buses that transport them?
How do they figure that switching the times is going to make a dimes worth of difference?
They will have the same number of students riding the same buses, just at different times.
OCPS has come up with some stupid ideas in the past, but this one takes the cake.
Guess most of them are HRC supporters, blue collar, lower educated, and dodging sniper fire, and apparently like HRC, math is not their strong suit.
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Member Comments Total Comments: 6
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droanx read my blog
May 7, 2008 | 5:16 PM

The whole plan is allow buses to make 3 routes in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. Currently, some buses are only making 2 routes. The new system is supposed to equate to fewer buses being used and it is supposed to use time a lot more wisely.

The reason this is supposed to work is because there are fewer high schools and this means more kids to pick up. That means they have to use a lot of buses to pick them up. On the other hand there are more middle schools and less bus stops. This means less travel distance and time. If you do middle school first you get those routes done and instead of doing just a high school then an elementary school the bus is able to do all three.

I don't know if I helped much but let me know if you have more questions and I will try (try is the key word) to figure it out.
LLRucker read my blog view my photos
May 7, 2008 | 8:27 PM

I'm still not getting it. The only real way to save money would be to combine the high school and middle school students. I mean, even changing times they still have the same amount of students attending the same number of schools, so I just don't see the logic behind this proposal.
Very confusing this thing is, very.
VampiressMaura read my blog
May 7, 2008 | 8:52 PM

I think it's absurd. Some high schoolers have jobs, thus giving back to the economy. Some have to pick their younger siblings up from THEIR schools. When you change the times, you can't do that. Some have after school sports. Kids wouldn't get home until far after bed time. They would move after school sports to in the morning. And who wants their twelve year-old standing out in the dark at six fifty in the morning? I, being a high schooler, am angered by this proposal. And I won't hesitate to drop out and go to Mid Florida Tech and get my diploma there instead.
droanx read my blog
May 7, 2008 | 10:07 PM

Well LLRucker I guess the bottom line is that the budget has been cut by the wonderful legislature and now all the school districts in FL are trying to figure out where they can cut their budgets. Orange is trying this out. If they think that this will free up 3 million dollars I rather them do this than cut teachers and supplies at the schools. Look at Evans High on the news tonight...what a mess. Maybe the 3 million they save from this can be put towards Evans.

As far as vampiressmaura saying that they will be making sports in the morning... not gonna happen. As a matter of fact some districts are talking about CUTTING sports programs. Also, in regards to working...the state has some pretty strict laws about how late teens in school can work so that point is mute. Unless, of course, your employer is breaking the law.
Ericjhach read my blog view my photos
May 8, 2008 | 7:14 AM

Keep the times the same and get rid of those idiots. Talk about the savings then.
YBSRobin read my blog
May 8, 2008 | 10:04 AM

I agree with Ericjhach! This whole thing sounds absurd, how about starting with lowering some of the salaries that these people are getting paid to come up with these things. If one would look at how much some of our school board officials are getting paid, we'd all start falling over with disbelief. No wonder the teachers are wanting more money, I don't blame them. Let's see if many of the school board supervisor's can reduce their salary from over $ 120,000 a year to $ 60,000, giving some of our tax payer money back into the school system and some back into the pockets of the hard working teachers.
And LLRucker, stated something that really makes "PERFECT SENSE," combine the two. If you question many of the middle school children, they in turn do not like the fact of getting home so late. Many of them are made to get up early anyway because most parents have to be to work by 8:00 am, therefore, the majority of the middle school children are at school anyway in the morning program waiting for school to start. If the school board rescheduled the hours of the middle school, I believe it would work better on the economy as well, as I believe it would help lessen the congestion of 5: pm traffic. Hmmm, but then again that would mean the school board would have to think of benefiting someone other than themselves.
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LLRucker

I am a writer with two published novels and dozens of short stories and articles to my credit. Besides writing, I enjoy crafting hand made quilts and reading.

Member Since: 1/19/2007


 

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