What difference would it make to have a district-run school bus system?
MARLBORO - With negotiations at a complete stall in Marlboro, the school bus drivers' strike is now expected to drag into Wednesday. It prompted an interesting thought from Marlboro mom Leslie Phelps after she sat in traffic dropping her daughter off at school. "Maybe Marlboro should get their own bus company. There's others school systems that have that," she said. "Why don't we?"
It's a question WBZ looked into for its series "Question Everything", and it happens to be something nearby Worcester did just this year. "We have no regrets at all," said Worcester Director of Transportation John Hennessey. Administrators there say they were fed up with the way the buses were running under the private company that previously ran the service. "Some schools were as much as an hour late in the morning and the afternoon," Hennessey said.
So, Worcester convinced drivers who had worked there for years to join the teachers' union, and work for a new boss, the city. "I was skeptical," said Jennifer O'Connor, who's driven Worcester school buses for 17 years. She was against the change at first, but almost a year later, she's now all-in. "It benefits the city, it benefits the students, it benefits the schools, it benefits everyone to have an in-house operation. I see that now," she said.
The district invested in dozens of new state-of-the-art buses with built-in crash prevention and speed control. Parents can even track them with a GPS app. "They do a really good job," said Jasmine Cruz, a mother of twin pre-schoolers who ride the bus. "Usually on time," she said. "It has been safe for now. Hopefully it stays that way."
Hennessey says this year, the change is expected to save the district about $3 million. "We think we made a good decision," Hennessey said.
Back in Marlboro, Superintendent Mary Murphy says it's not a move the school district has discussed, but some families with students walking this week are questioning. If it works in Worcester, why not?
If you have a question you'd like us to look into, please email questioneverything@cbsboston.com.
