School Board Rejects Metro-Bus Proposal

By Tan Vinh, The Seattle Times

Feb. 28–The plan to transport Seattle high-schoolers on Metro buses unraveled Monday night after several frustrated School Board members refused to compromise, much to the surprise of many district administrators.

As a result, students at Franklin and Ballard high schools, which volunteered to use King County Metro Transit service this fall, will remain on yellow buses.

“It’s just frustrating. We have a difficult time making changes,” School Board member Michael DeBell, a major supporter of the bus plan, said at the special transportation meeting. “It is a waste of time. They [some board members] always want to have perfect information and not want to offend anybody.”

The district, which forecasts a $15 million budget deficit in 2006-07 and a nearly $25 million deficit the following school year, was banking on its transportation plan as a major cost-saving measure. The plan would get rid of most, if not all, of the 130 bus routes for high-schoolers and put them on Metro over the next three years.

But four board members, especially Sally Soriano, felt the plan was too much and too fast, and that the district could not guarantee the students’ safety on public transportation nor prove that the bus plan actually would save money.

Some board members worried that the plan might prompt more high-school students to attend their neighborhood schools rather than choose a school across town.

But supporters, especially board member Irene Stewart, reminded her colleagues that most board members had discussed the issue and agreed to put high-schoolers on Metro buses two years ago. She left quickly after the votes.

The first vote was a compromise offered by board member Cheryl Chow to allow Ballard and Franklin high-schoolers onto Metro this fall and evaluate the results before committing other high schools. The proposal was defeated 4-3, with Chow, Darlene Flynn and Mary Bass in the minority.

Then the board returned to its original proposal to phase all high schools onto Metro in the next three years. That, too, was defeated on a 4-3 vote, this time with DeBell, Stewart and board President Brita Butler-Wall in the minority.

Afterward, Chow said she might bring the bus-compromise proposal up again at Wednesday’s regular board meeting after members had time to cool down and perhaps reconsider. Several members said last night they won’t change their minds.

The vote was a blow especially to Ballard High School, which was even planning to start first period an hour later, at 8:45 a.m., to avoid the morning rush hour when Metro buses are full. The principal, many teachers and the PTSA also thought the late start would improve student attendance, and that students would be more alert.

“I am disappointed,” said Lyn Porterfield, co-PTSA president at Ballard High. “This was a deal that made a lot of sense. There was a lot of support for it at Ballard.”

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