Lakewood schools and yeshivas don't care.

amother

Tuberose

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 10:35 am

I do want to say.
Im the wife of a bus driver.
There is a massive shortage this year for many reasons.
1) Corona and the stupid DMV delays and red tape. People who want to get their license can't for another 6 months
2) supply shortages mean trucking companies are paying so much better, and giving bonuses
3)many drivers were older semi-retired who drove part time. Now, they don't want to drive with kids who are unvaccinated/uncooperative about mask wearing. So they're not driving
4) Lakewood traffic, Lakewood behavior, Lakewood expectations, Lakewood parents
Would YOU want to drive when you have parents calling the police if they suspect you're 1 mile over speed limit, schools calling to have you fired because you're dropping off 10 minutes late for being stuck behind a garbage truck, insane drivers running red blinkers, but whenever something happens it must be the drivers fault, parents who harass the drivers about the order of the stops, demand house stops, yell at the driver because the kids are standing.

I'm sorry OP for your rough time. Truly.
I just wanted to put all this out there before this thread becomes a "let's bash lazy bus drivers" thread.

amother

Cerulean

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 10:44 am

amother [ Lightpink ] wrote:

I think you should change the subject. Why make pple think all lakewood schools couldn't care less when they mostly all do have bussing. The fact that boys get out early is annoying for most pple I guess.

Well even if they don’t have bussing that certainly doesn’t mean they don’t care. What exactly are they supposed to do?

amother

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 11:25 am

Anytime my sons school change therir hours. I have to pick him up. He had no bussing before September , he started in August, Thanksgiving, Thursday before x-mas.week of Chanuka, some random days when they can't find a sub. Now midwinter and we still have many months ahead .
My toddler is done at 3:20 she starts very late. It works for me.

amother

Broom

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 11:32 am

I disagree they they don’t care. They are fighting the bus issue tooth and nail. Many schools are gong to start providing their own buses and they are fighting the townships hard. I get it’s frustrating but it’s not ok to accuse them of not caring when it’s not true.

keym

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 11:32 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

No bussing in August means that the school didn't charge for summer bussing. Lsta covers only sep-june, not thanksgiving, Xmas.
Also the lsta contract is for a specific time, say 4:30. If the school dismissed early (like midwinter or Chanuka) then lsta does not have to cover the new time, especially if they can't.
You should speak to the school. Not as a complaint, so much as a discussion for next year. I find schools so much more cooperative when you come to problem solve for next year, rather than complain.

amother

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 11:39 am

amother [ Cerulean ] wrote:

Well even if they don’t have bussing that certainly doesn’t mean they don’t care. What exactly are they supposed to do?

I noticed alot of chassidish schools have their own bussing with better service. I see busses driving around with hebrew letters. Our neighbor goes to a school that saw that this year was a hard year with bussing. they arranged a van service, they are communicate with the parents. Both my children's school. And what I hear from others and what the school tells me is that its the parent responsibility to make a arrangements.

amother

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 11:42 am

amother [ Broom ] wrote:

Could I call the township myself? What department. My understanding is that its a state issue. Where are you getting g your Information from.
Mistake

keym

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 11:43 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

So offer to be the change you want to see in the school. Offer to coordinate all this. I'm sure the school would be happy to let you work with them. They just don't have the money, staff, and resources to take care of it.

The Chassidishe schools put out tremendous expense (usually sponsored by the mosad that the school is under the banner of). It's a priority to them because they want to attract a crowd that doesn't drive.

amother

Broom

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 11:43 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Could I call the township myself? What department. My understanding is that its a state issue. Where are you getting g your Information from Punch

My schools are open with us so I know what they are doing. You need to go to the town meetings that’s when you fight it. Have you gone to any that discussed busing?

keym

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 11:45 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Could I call the township myself? What department. My understanding is that its a state issue. Where are you getting g your Information from Punch

In Lakewood, the legal address is the LSTA
In Jackson and Tom's River, you direct the township boe.

Are you getting aid in lieu for your girls? Around $1000 per child per year.

amother

Cerulean

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 11:47 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

And the drivers are chasidish. Many fathers drive busses. My achool is trying to arrange similar so far out of hundreds of fathers, three have volunteered. Would your husband drive a bus? If so he can help the problem. He probably can’t. My husband also can’t. Hence the problem.

amother

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 11:48 am

amother [ Broom ] wrote:

My schools are open with us so I know what they are doing. You need to go to the town meetings that’s when you fight it. Have you gone to any that discussed busing?

No how do I find out about any meeting um not realy familiar with government and how they work. I'm just a simple hu.an being trying to manage life I guess.

Btw the emojis were a mistake must have hit on them right before I sent my messages

mha3484

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 11:49 am

I agree with Keym. Be the change you want to see. In my city one year the state stopped subsidizing the bus so a bunch of parents got together to organize it themselves. They needed the bus badly so they worked with the school and the bus company to organize it. Parents paid a higher fee but they had a bus.

amother

Blue

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 11:50 am

Bussing shouldn't be a given. People across the country have to figure out carpools for their kids. I work full time and schools dont provide bussing at all where I live. Not in lakewood area at all. So when they have early dismissal or late start or randomly this year they decided to start later every day... I have to figure it out. It's part of being a parent and sending to frum schools.
What would you do if there was never bussing? The government can always cut funding for it...
Try to come up with a plan. Find a few parents to carpool with. Come up with rules that unless there is a specific emergency that cant just not show up. Instead of doing a week at a time, many people find having a specific day of the week to do a lot easier. And it is easier for 2 parents to swap if someone is sick, has an appointment etc.

amother

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 11:51 am

keym wrote:

In Lakewood, the legal address is the LSTA
In Jackson and Tom's River, you direct the township boe.

Are you getting aid in lieu for your girls? Around $1000 per child per year.

Yes b"h I am. We wanted to hire a driver but we couldn't find one those hours

amother

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 11:55 am

keym wrote:

In Lakewood, the legal address is the LSTA
In Jackson and Tom's River, you direct the township boe.

Are you getting aid in lieu for your girls? Around $1000 per child per year.

Yes b"h I am. We wanted to hire a driver but we couldn't find one those hours. The afternoon is actually impossible.

amother

Springgreen

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 11:57 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Yes b"h I am. We wanted to hire a driver but we couldn't find one those hours. The afternoon is actually impossible.

People have had luck hanging a sign in the school office offering to hire a teacher / assistant who lives near you to drive their girls home.
You can also reach out to other workplaces or schools near yours to see if anyone is interested.
Expect to pay a lot.
Hatzlacha, it is not easy!

amother

Oldlace

Thu, Jan 27 2022, 12:08 pm

amother [ Cerulean ] wrote:

One of the problems with finding private drivers is they are stressed they can never take off
One frum deriver told us a school offered him a job but bec There is no backup it was too stressful for him. He said in the big companies if he takes off they cover for him.
Schools have a very hard time finding private drivers.

Ppl have tried van services but is very hard to cover expenses bec kids from schools live all over and it can take an hour to get 3-4 kids home. Some planes charge parents a 1000 over aid in lieu and make it work.
Lake way also will do steady carpool routes.

It’s a great business idea for ppl. To start van bus services.