Students get off the bus at Holy Angels School, Woodbury, on the first day of school this year. Even without the added challenge of trying to arrange and fund bus transportation during a pandemic, the state allotment hasn’t kept up with inflation. (Alan M. Dumoff)
In the summer of 2020, as South Jersey Catholic Schools prepared for a historic reopening of all buildings for full-time, in-person learning, many schools found out they would be losing bus routes — the transportation lifeline for most school families.
At Saint Mary Regional School in East Vineland, where 95% of students rely on the bus, Principal Steven Hogan learned eight bus routes would be canceled. Saint Mary’s, like most non-public schools in New Jersey, relies on local school districts to arrange busing.
State funding comes from an allotment of $1,000 per eligible pupil, which often doesn’t cover the full cost. With the limited capacity imposed on buses during the pandemic, it was even harder for many school districts to cover the cost. Some districts opted to give families the $1,000 allotment as aid in lieu of transportation.
“The families pulled it together because they wanted their kids in full-day school,” said Hogan. “They had aunts and uncles and older siblings driving kids to school.”
Although families found a way to make it work during the current school year, Hogan said an ongoing lack of busing would not be sustainable. “Our [Catholic] schools need transportation to survive,” he said.
When the City of Camden suspended busing for the school year, some students at Camden Catholic High School, Cherry Hill, were left with no transportation at all. “Some students from Camden decided to do remote learning because they couldn’t get here,” said Derrick Levine, Dean of Students.
Assistant Superintendent of Schools Sister Rose DiFluri sees the irony. “Our schools opened, but some students couldn’t get there because of the transportation issues. Many of the local districts we rely on were fully remote, so they didn’t have transportation needs for their own students,” she said. “We have to do all we can to make sure students can get to school.”
Even without the added challenge of trying to arrange and fund bus transportation during a pandemic, the $1,000 allotment hasn’t kept up with inflation.
As the New Jersey Legislature considers final recommendations for the Governor’s upcoming fiscal year budget, the New Jersey Catholic Conference has issued an Action Alert for New Jersey residents to request a transportation ceiling of $1,150.
The Action Alert also supports an increase in the school technology allotment — from $36 to $45 per student. Investments in technology have been critical to supporting simultaneous in-person and remote learning to meet the needs of all school families. Considered essential services for all students, no matter where they attend school, busing and technology are among a handful of non-academic services eligible for limited state funding.
The most recently published, average cost to educate a student in New Jersey public schools is $21,866. With approximately 9,500 K-12 students enrolled in Catholic schools in southern New Jersey, that’s a savings of nearly $208 million to New Jersey taxpayers. Advocates make the argument that it’s in everyone’s best interest to make sure all students have essential resources they need to stay in the school of their choice.
To support students in South Jersey Catholic Schools, go to www.votervoice.net/NJCC/Campaigns/83759/Respond. Ask your legislators to make sure all students can remain in Catholic schools.