Parents of parochial school students, worried that free bus service for their children could be cut next school year, filled a meeting room last night as the county school board discussed the program's future.
Somber-faced board members told about 80 parents that they would propose cutting the service if the county does not fully fund the proposed $229 million budget.
"You're hearing very clearly [that] if there's enough money in the budget to do what we have to do . . . then this is a fight that does not have to be," said board member Stephen Bounds.
At issue is free bus transportation for about 650 families whose children attend five parochial schools in the county, budgeted at $206,000 next school year.
Under a 1943 law enacted by the General Assembly before the county had charter government, the school system must provide bus transportation to parochial school children who live near public school bus lines.
But there has been growing support this year among public school parents to do away with the service because of fears that the council will cut the proposed education budget and the state will reduce transportation aid to the county by $437,000.
During last night's work session on the spending plan, two board members opposed spending tax dollars to bus parochial school students. They said they provide money for the program to uphold the law, but when "push comes to shove . . . when people say, 'cut, cut, cut,' we have to do it," said Sandra French, vice chairwoman of the board.
Board Chairwoman Susan Cook asked the parents to support the board's proposed budget at a May 4 council hearing. "We can't do it if we're fighting each other," she said. "We have to do it to help all children in the county, whether public or private."
The parents, who wore neon-green badges with the inscription, "Investing in Non-Public Transportation Means Savings For All," left the meeting with mixed feelings. Many spoke of the hardships they'd face if they lost the service.
"If I can't get my children on that public school bus in the afternoon to day care, I cannot work," said Catherine G. Powers, whose children attend Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ellicott City. "It's a big sacrifice to send your kids to private schools. But I'm doing it because I'm concerned about my kids' future."
Victoria Evans, whose daughter rides a bus to St. Louis School in Clarksville, left the meeting determined to help the board lobby for its spending plan. "Our efforts need to be directed to the school board's achievement of their goals," she said. "I see the big picture now. It's in the interest of all parents to see the school board gets the budget they need."
But Rosemarie Rippel, who has a child at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, was angered that the cut was being considered. "Why don't they make the public school children pay for the transportation?" she asked. "They get free breakfasts. They get free books. It's ridiculous."
She said the county would be hurt if some parochial school students were to transfer to public schools because of discontinued bus service. "If some of us decide to send our children to public schools, they're going to have to build new schools," she said. "We're really helping them by sending our children to private schools."
.5l Laura Errera, whose children attend Resurrection-St. Paul School in Ellicott City, said it bothered her that board members said they finance the bus service only to follow the law.
"My feeling is if they're going to take the buses away, then they should provide us all with [tax] rebates because we do not use the schools," she said. "We need that busing. More than that, we're entitled to it."