<![CDATA[The Bryant Clipper]]> <![CDATA[The Bryant Clipper]]> /Portals/2/logos/__TFMF_mrzbpumszpaq1ii4a0p1zb55_41e7459b-7711-4491-960d-a3ade0062b58_0___Selected.jpg en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 22:08:26 GMT 15 <![CDATA[No Fare?]]> By Lhencham Sangmo

Bryant Clipper
The parents of a single child going to school will have to shell out $810 per year from their own pocket for their child’s transportation

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Many students and parents are furious about the drastic Doomsday Budget cut be­ing contemplated by MTA board members. The proposed budget cut includes students paying half fares starting next school year and full fare in 2011. In these tough economic times, can parents really afford to face this? The parents of a single child going to school will have to shell out $810 per year from their own pocket for their child’s transportation. If more than one child is going to school from a household, the cost will be even greater and more of a hardship. “If I have to use my own money it is go­ing to be a hassle financially to go to school,” said senior Leronda Pack. Pack comes to Bryant all the way from Jamaica and uses the full fare metro card for transportation. Could these cuts really mean the end of students having the choice to attend out of zone schools? Furthermore, as Mayor Bloomberg continues to close neighborhood high schools across the city, students are going to be expect­ed to travel further to attend school, which is required by law. If students need to travel by subway or bus for an education, there will be no way around this proposed increase. The MTA doles out 500,000 student metro cards each year, either free or half price. However, MTA may face a budget gap as large as $500 million this year and they are not ob­ligated by law to provide students with free transportation. As a result of this action, faculty is concerned about attendance rates decreas­ing in city schools and the quality of education students’ receive will be diminished, all to save the budget. “I think this decision has everything to do with the wallet and nothing to do with edu­cation,” said Bryant teacher Mr. Schwab. “The students are going to suffer and that’s wrong.” Principal's Perspective: Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} What are your thoughts on the proposed cuts? It’s unfortunate because a system was created to allow students to go to any school in the city and by removing student metro cards you’re sending the message that you have no other choices than to attend your zone school, un­less you pay for transportation which will be difficult for many families to achieve. How do you plan on handling this situation? I plan on keeping an open line of communi­cation with students and their parents. I’m also working on a program where students can make up any missed work or classes due to transportation issues. Any other comments on the issue? I hope the MTA repeals this decision because going forward with this will have devastating effects on students and families and also Bryant High School . Many people have put tre­mendous effort to making this into a commu­nity. ]]> Sun, 18 Apr 2010 19:34:40 GMT