School Transportation

[JohnnyO]

From the March 2006 issue of Road & Track magazine: Carlsbad, California children love their new after-school program. After it turned out that the van transportation would cost $125 per month per child, the Boys And Girls Club director found a better rate; $90 per child per month to ride in an $82,000 35-foot Ford Excursion super-stretch limousine. The kids enjoy plenty of room, adjustable music, an alcohol-free bar, and mood lighting. One third-grader confessed, "I feel like a movie star." I can't make this stuff up.

 

[stringsattached]

That's absolutely fabulous! Good for them for shopping around. The kids in schools over here get unhealthy, miserable food and then the district/administration(private) has to pay out the a$$ for it. Something's wrong with that scenario. I've said a hundred times (only half joking) that I'm going to band together with a few other people and start a private catering service for grade schools. We could make meals that were amazingly more nutritious and tasty, sell it for a lower cost, and still take home a huge profit. The food wouldn't have to be gourmet, just GOOD food (as in not fried chicken nuggets, fried dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, and fried potato smilie faces with a side of bleached-out fruit cocktail). Some of the current food programs are outright extortion (mostly due to the fact that there is no competition), but there are also so many other problems in the schools to deal with that there isn't time to "mess around" with the system. Oh, and just try and take a WAG as to what the current research on nutrition and academic performance shows. *storms off in rage*

 

[JohnnyO]

You could probably have better food cheaper because you wouldn't have a unionized workforce cooking and serving it. At least that's how it is here.

 

[javacontour]

I guess I'm paying for it in taxes or per meal. But when I go have lunch with my dear daughter, it's about $2 for me to have some of those chicken nuggets or whatever, and a couple of cartons of milk. Of course, I might just bring a happy meal someday to suprise her. T

 

[Kestas]

It sounds like the director did his homework!

 

[JohnnyO]

I just think it's a howl that a stretch limo costs less than the "short bus". Us kids on the short bus were good football players though because we wore our helmets ALL the time.

 

[T-Keith]

And people wonder why school referendums are shot down, there's too much unrestricted spending. Makes you wonder how much the school districts would save if they all went to stretch limos.

 

[javacontour]

I don't think this is a school district. Didn't the text say this was done by a Boys and Girls Club director?

 

[Pontius Pilate]

hahaha carlsbad... north san diego county, love that place.... never see a BMW or mercedes hit over 3k on a tach, but the performance is warranted, you know... need that power for hauling around nordstrom and neiman marcus bags.

 

[T-Keith]

quote:

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Originally posted by javacontour: I don't think this is a school district. Didn't the text say this was done by a Boys and Girls Club director?

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Yes, but do you think the school district that uses the bus service gets charged less?

 

[javacontour]

Good Q. I suspect a school bus service to specific stops vs a van to take kids home is probably less costly. Now, does the Boys and Girls club take the kids home, or to a designated stop? That I don't know.

 

[JohnnyO]

My take is that it is an after-school club and the stretch limo cost less than paying for a "late bus" from the bus company.