CUTTING TRANSPORTATION FOR PRIVATE SCHOOL STUDENTS WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE

The number one solution to the New York City budget crisis suggested by the Independent budget office, to eliminate funding of transportation to all private school students,would be an irresponsible decision. Cutting transportation to private school students is a slap in the face to many good tax paying citizens and would cause a major safety hazard on the busy and sometimes dangerous streets of New York. The elimination of public transportation could greatly endanger both the lives of those private school students and have a ripple effect and in turn endanger many other New Yorkers. In addition, if this plan is implemented, many of the parents who send their children to private schools may decide to send their children to public schools which could cost New York City even more money than the anticipated savings. Further, parents who send their children to private schools also have a right to see some of the tax money that they pay into the educational system.

If there was no transportation for private school students, parents would have to look at other options, which could endanger those children and many other New Yorkers. One of the other main options would be for parents themselves to drive their children to school. This would bring more cars onto the roads at rush hour ,causing traffic jams and would inevitably cause an increase in accidents. Some parents might be forced to consider allowing their children to walk to school. This is a great safety risk as some of these children might be very young and might be forced to walk far distances on their own. An additional option would be for parents to send their children on public transportation which can be dangerous for young children especially when they cross through unsafe neighborhoods and busy intersections. Cutting transportation would increase the number of car accidents and force parents to put their children in a dangerous situation for lack of a better option. Why should the safety of public school students be anymore important then the safety of private school students?

Cutting transportation for private school students as a way to decrease the budget crisis might in fact increase spending as parents may switch their children into the public school system. The parents who send their children to private schools in New York City are on average no better off economically then those parents who send their children to public school. This can be due to the fact that most private schools in New York City are religious schools and therefore parents are sending their children for religious purposes and not because they want to send their children to an expensive private school. These parents, who are not wealthy, may therefore decide that without transportation, it is too much of a hassle or might cost them extra in paying for their own buses, and may decide to switch their children to public schools. This would cost New York City more money as the city would have to pay for the education of more students. If the city decides to cut transportation for private schools as a means of decreasing the budget crisis they may find themselves with an increase in deficit as they may be forced to spend more money on all the new students who could be added to the public school system.

New York City taxpayers, even those who send their children to private schools, have a right to see some of the tax money set aside for education ,used for their children. As of now the federal government uses taxpayer money to give private schools money for textbooks. The federal government has no problem with giving money and services to private schools and until now neither did the city. Private school parents pay into the system with their taxpayer dollars and are supporting the public schools while they see little done with their money through the failures of the new York city public schools. As of now one of the few services that the private school parents see their money put to work for their own children, is the free transportation. Without the city providing transportation many good taxpaying citizens who send their own children to private schools would become fed up with a system that ignores their children, and the cities responsibility to safely transport all the children of New York to schools.

It would be irresponsible for the city of New York to cut transportation for private school students as a means to decrease the budget deficit. This would cause more harm than good as it would cost New York City money as public schools would grow beyond capacity, it would be a safety hazard as their would be more accidents, and cause many taxpayer to get very upset at a system that ignores their children in private schools. The city of New York is no more responsible for children who go to public schools than for children who go to private schools, as the safety of all the children of New York should be a priority.

Malka Hirsch