school bus

School Bus Transportation Measure Passes Senate Subcommittee

By Henrietta Gomes
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the Issue of 2/15/07)

Proponents of a bill which would permit local school boards to provide bus transportation to nonpublic school students have begun to see the light at the end of the tunnel for their efforts. Last week the Senate’s Public Education subcommittee voted in favor of the measure after it had been approved earlier by the House of Delegates.
“It’s the first of a series of steps for Catholic schools to receive bus transportation,” said Dr. Timothy McNiff, superintendent for schools, regarding the measure.
“Certainly this would be a tremendous help to schools and parents,” said McNiff. “[Students of nonpublic schools] are entitled to have bus transportation.”
Calling the legislation “equitable,” McNiff explained that parents of students who attend nonpublic schools are not only paying taxes, but also providing tax relief by putting their children in Catholic and private school.
Making a clarification, McNiff said, “It’s important to be mindful that this legislation simply changes the language and makes it permissible, but does not mandate bus transportation.”
Aside from equity, McNiff also noted that the measure is a safety issue. “Traffic is getting more and more congested, and the best place to put the students is on a bus.”
The measure could “be a tool that local school boards can use to reduce traffic. It would benefit the entire community,” said Jeff Caruso, executive director of the Virginia Catholic Conference. The heavy flow of traffic in the Northern Virginia region is a heightened concern, he said.
Caruso commended many Catholic school parents for their efforts in pushing for the legislation. “They have been contacting members of the committee and their contacts have been persuasive,” he said. “It shows that Catholic school parents are very interested in this issue and that more and more legislators are being responsive to their requests.”
The legislation supported by the conference will be considered in the full Education and Health Committee on Feb. 15. The approval of the bill in the subcommittee is “not yet an ultimate victory, but this is as close as we’ve ever come,” said Caruso. Similar legislation had been defeated in the Senate subcommittee in previous years. Anticipating the final victory, Caruso said, “We’ve got the momentum on our side. This gives us great hope that the legislation could pass this year.”

Henrietta Gomes can be reached at hgomes@catholicherald.com.