This letter is in reference to Mr. Paul Newman's letter 'Picking Up the Tab' dated 7/11/08 which was a response to my letter titled "Equal Transportation For All Students" dated 7/4/08.

I agree with Mr. Newman about the waste and unnecessary spending within the school district. Mr. Newman seems to be very upset with administration as he explained with many examples in his letter. However, I think he misunderstood the intention of my letter, which was to find a way to provide transportation to as many students in the district as possible in the most economical manner.

As I stated in paragraph 3, two years ago a committee was formed and we met with Mr. Carlson, a member of administration, to discuss various ways to provide transportation for more students. We were very concerned about the children's safety as well as the traffic problem created by the many parents driving their children to school. One suggestion was to have the school district re-arrange district school hours in a way that would allow transportation for more students than they could currently provide, without needing to obtain additional busing. It was also suggested that anyone in need of a bus, but was not eligible, could possibly pay for the cost themselves. Our committee was turned down. However, just recently, the Tally Lane parents complained about the safety of their children walking to school and they were given a chance to receive a bus. We were not given this same opportunity. Some of these students live closer to school than many others on my side of town. What makes these children more important than mine? Why should they be safe and not all the children? From what I understand, these parents were concerned about a particular area that the children needed to cross to get to school. Why didn't the district look into a crossing guard instead of adding $195,000 into the budget which you and I, Mr. Newman, must now pay for?

I never suggested putting millions of dollars into an already exorbitant school budget. I pay taxes too (even though you had to point this out to me - the more I ask for, the more we are taxed, paragraph 3). We live over a mile from the school. I have been carpooling for 12 years and I have four more years of driving. Come September, I will be traveling to and from school four times a day, and I no longer have anyone to carpool with. As I've done in the past, I will also be driving other children whose parents are working who do not feel comfortable having their children walk to and from school alone, especially after receiving several warning notices last year from the school district. Some "Little Johnny's" (as you stated) have two working parents in order to keep up with the already high taxes, yet these high taxes don't include transportation to school for their children. What are they to do? Hire someone to drive their children so that they can get to work on time? Not having children of his own, Mr. Newman doesn't realize how torn parents are trying to juggle everyone's schedule.

I'd like to know what Mr. Newman meant in paragraph four when he wrote, "There is a host of problems that never get addressed by people like Ms. Handel." Also, what did Mr. Newman mean in his last paragraph when he said, "I love kids but it's their parents with screwed-up priorities I have no patience for." Mr. Newman, safety for the children in our school district is by no means a screwed up priority.

Susan Handel