Free the School Bus

According to a 2024 article in Education Week, a publication that has covered K-12 education news since 1981, there are approximately 13,000 public school districts in the United States. The vast majority – possibly has high as four out of every five – provide transportation for students at public expense. Meaning, any child who wants a ride can get one and no fee is charged to the family.[1] Amongst those districts that charge fees, there is a broad array of variability, but about 5% - or one out of every twenty school districts

– charge some students, while others ride free.[2]

Peabody is in this extreme minority of school districts. Some families are charged as much as $650 for their children to ride the bus to school and many who cannot pay (and there are many) end up driving causing persistent and unending gridlock. While our neighboring communities on the North Shore all seem to fall into this 5% as well, that does not mean this is a well-considered policy or that the benefits of charging students to ride the bus really outweigh the drawbacks – as there are certainly many.  

Traffic is among the top issues voters say they are concerned with when asked by our campaign

First, charging for the bus can be a real burden, even for those who pay. Providing free

busses will put money back in the pockets of working families. Second, when you do not have buses, more of your students end up trickling in late or they don’t come at all when no ride is available. Providing busses will more likely than not improve attendance and tardiness, having an impact on the educational opportunities of those students who would have been otherwise affected. Third, because so many parents have to drive their children to school, we have ludicrous gridlock every day at pickup and drop-off. Right now, I estimate between 1000 to 2000 cars per day hit the road due to our lack of free bussing. Even if you don’t have kids or you’re not going to use the bus anyway, the entire city is going to benefit from a marked reduction in the amount of traffic on our roads.

In an effort to steel-man the opposing view point, such an effort might be expensive. We do not know its costs right now, but it is an honest possibility. Hypothetically, taxes might go up. Such increases hit seniors and folks on fixed-incomes particularly hard, of which there are many in Peabody. If you retired on a pension in 2000, inflation has truly eroded your spending power in 2025. A sizable tax-hike could make your house unaffordable.

Such honest concerns should not be a dissuade us from holding hearings and figuring out how other cities and towns have managed to provide transportation. Opponents of free busses should have the opportunity to demonstrate why improvements in traffic and educational outcomes ain’t worth the cost. And, if taxes did need to be raised, there are ways to structure tax waivers and spread the tax burden so that putting kids on busses doesn’t drive seniors out of town.

The more kids we get on the bus, the fewer cars there are on the road. Providing free bussing would relieve traffic, save parents that pay for busses money, and save parents who drive their children so much time. I believe the time is right for Peabody to hold hearings on the issue and determine the appropriate funding mechanism and get more of our kids on the bus.

                                                                        In solidarity,

                                                                        Tristan

[1] Mark Liberman, Some Districts Charge for School Bus Rides—If they Offer Transportation at All, Education Week (June 25, 2024) available at https://www.edweek.org/leadership/some-districts-charge-for-school-bus-rides-if-they-offer-transportation-at-all/2024/06  

[2] Mark Liberman, Some Districts Charge for School Bus Rides—If they Offer Transportation at All, Education Week (June 25, 2024) available at https://www.edweek.org/leadership/some-districts-charge-for-school-bus-rides-if-they-offer-transportation-at-all/2024/06