As the fourth week of classes plays out, Howard County students are still waiting at bus stops each morning for transportation that’s slow to show — or doesn’t show at all.
But parents say they’re tired of just complaining about Zum, the new bus contracting company that started operating in Howard County this year.
Corinne Happel, leader of local advocacy group Neighbors for Buses, said it’s time for stakeholders to pitch their own solutions. That’s why she hosted a sold-out town hall on Tuesday.
“It is our duty as a community to come together and to brainstorm solutions,” Happel said. “Together, we are creating a public record of community member ideas and concerns, some of which are still under-publicized like those of children who have no backup ride to school when school buses do not show up and those of children with special needs.”
Happel said the busing issues in Howard County didn’t start this fall. In March, district leaders expanded the distance children would be asked to walk to school, cutting bus service for thousands of students.
“Broad community input was never solicited prior to major changes that affect students and families daily lives,” Happel said. “And yet here we are again today with more decisions being made without our input.”
Each speaker at the town hall was asked to propose at least one solution during their public comment.
Some parents are optimistic that new school start times, which are 10 minutes earlier across the board, will give bus drivers more leeway to be on time.
“I don't want to just complain and complain,” said parent Stephanie de Wit. “I think with the adjustment of school start times my daughters will be picked up earlier. I think that will help hopefully get my high schooler on time to school.”
But in a board of education meeting on Monday night, members expressed concerns about the shifted time schedules — and the data used, largely from Zum, to make those decisions.
“If we’re only using Zum data to inform decision making, and make a one-size-fit-all solution, it won’t benefit the whole Howard County population,” said board member Yun Lu.
Some parents are finding their own data. Caroline Barth, a Howard County parent, said she and others formed a committee to investigate Zum by interviewing bus drivers and digging into contracts for more answers.
“The situation is so much more messed up than it has been reported in the news or by the board of education or the bus contractors,” Barth said.
Dan Newberger ran for the Howard County board of education last year. He said parents need to be more diligent about holding district leaders accountable.
“And that is on us as voters who are not insisting that our elected officials on the Board of Ed are holding professionals accountable in central office,” he said. “That's what needs to happen. Or else, we end up with situations like this.”
Newberger also said that bus drivers should be employed by the Howard County school system, to receive benefits that will boost retention and recruitment to fill shortages.
Parent Drew Roth called on the school board to form an independent body to review and assess the Zum contract.
“You guys work for us; you're accountable to us,” Roth said. “And so you represent our opportunity to make our voices heard. And the three questions I think we all need to focus on are, how did this happen? How do we fix it? How do we stop it from happening again?”
Happel said that expanding bus service to more students will also help, and remedy the cuts made in the spring.
School buses are “being delayed getting to school because they are getting stuck in private vehicle traffic in school zones,” she said. “By allowing more children onto the school bus, this will open up school zones to receive school buses closer to the start of school.”
Happel plans to submit notes and ideas from the town hall to community and school leaders this week.
