This Week's Attitude
Mayor, Chancellor Should Take A U-Turn On Bus Routes
By Neil S. Friedman

If "Nightline" were to do daily segments on the current New York City school bus mess, it might be headlined, "NYC School Children Held Hostage - Day 9."

Nine days ago, the Department of Education initiated what looks like an ill-conceived plan for the consolidation of school bus routes concocted last fall by a pricey consulting firm (some of its employees rake in upwards of $400 an hour in fees), which was signed on without competitive bidding. Apparently, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein had dollar signs on the brain when they saw an opportunity to save an estimated $10 million by eliminating 116 routes, a few of which they contended were not being used by public school students.

But, instead of scrutinizing the revised plan or even conducting a few trial runs, the potential chaos of implementing the new routes in the middle of the school year, not to mention in the middle of winter, was obviously overlooked! DOE officials must have been grinning ear to ear when the early winter weather was balmy and spring-like, but when it began to drop below typical seasonal averages about two weeks ago, one wonders how concerned they were about thousands of children waiting in frigid temperatures as bus drivers grew accustomed to the new directions.

To his credit, nearly every decision or modification Mayor Bloomberg has executed in his first five years in office has been prudent and beneficial for the city. But the money-saving plan to reduce the number of bus routes is, in its infancy, a disaster that remains troublesome for thousands of students and frustrating for their parents. And severely cold weather compounded the dilemma, which made standing in the street waiting an hour or more, in some instances, particularly uncomfortable, bordering on callousness, if not inconsiderate.

As affected parents and students most likely tried not to think about the school bus dilemma over the weekend, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein backed off a little - very little. Klein, appearing somewhat contrite, took responsibility for the "poor planning" for the bus route changes. In Albany on Monday, Bloomberg said, "Maybe they didn't do it as efficiently as they should - should've, would've and could've...It's unfortunate that people were inconvenienced...but we had bus routes that nobody was taking and we were wasting money, which is better spent in classrooms."

Nevertheless, despite the bus route overhaul fiasco, which reportedly is saving the city upwards of $10 million, the changes are here to stay.

The fiscal-minded mayor and budget-conscious schools chancellor, who together have sensibly reduced the bloated budget of the old Board of Education administration since they came to power five years ago, decided that eliminating scores of school bus routes would be economically prudent. However, the DOE reportedly gave the pricey consultants - Alvarez and Marshal - a $15.8 million contract to reorganize elements of the DOE, including the Office of Pupil Transportation, which is behind the current fiasco! And that same firm, according to the New York Times, botched a consulting job for the St. Louis public school system that left it bankrupt. (Perhaps if the "Show Me" education officials didn't pay for consultants and just put their educated heads together, they could have avoided a fiscal crisis.)

This is the kind of situation that Bloomberg's severest critics revel in. Here you have this self-made billionaire enacting policies that are, in all likelihood, alien to his family. Bloomberg's children attended expensive, private institutions and probably went to and from school in chauffeur-driven vehicles. The moneyed mayor is fortunate to afford the best for his family and many are probably envious. Hey, if you've got it flaunt it, but when you endorse procedures for working class families, you have to comprehend the potential problems they may face. Nonetheless, that doesn't mean he has to treat the bourgeoisie with what from time to time appears to be indifference, which particularly seems to be the case in the school bus plan for which he has scoffed at crabby parents for voicing their dissatisfaction.

The first few days resulted in over ten thousand phone calls to the DOE and 311, the city's convenient help line. Subsequently, the calls from confused and angry parents have remained in the 2,000 range on weekdays.

One Canarsie parent, whose letter to the editor about the matter is on page 31, told the Courier that she stopped calling the hotline last week when she felt her complaints seemed to fall on deaf ears. She said that since the new bus route plan took effect her daughter and others have waited about an hour in the cold every morning, but one, for a bus to take her to P.S. 115. Thousands of other frustrated parents affected by the changes undoubtedly surrendered to the changes and realized all they could do for now was cope with the exasperating situation.

After six days, one local administrator called the plan "one of the dumbest things going," but added that the priority remains the education of students.

The mayor and the chancellor must own up to their mistake (something public officials are generally reluctant to do) and abandon the plan sooner than later. Then, they should demand the consultants go back to the drawing board - without additional compensation - and figure out the problems of the new plan, fix them and perhaps conduct a few trial runs in the spring. If that works, then implement new routes at the start of the new school year in September.

C'mon Mayor Mike, show us commoners the consideration behind that elitist exterior that you've exhibited in the past. By admitting your mistake and revamping the troubled school bus plan without delay, you will not only prove to your skeptics that they are mistaken, but you will demonstrate to those who have enthusiastically supported you that you are the compassionate, nice guy most New Yorkers believe in.