Fresno City students riding the bus for free? Priceless. Ending that service is unwise
The possibility that students attending Fresno City College and Clovis Community College are in jeopardy of losing free bus transportation to and from the campuses is a needless problem that should be quickly solved.
And that answer is that the bus service should remain free for students, with no thought of cutting it.
Education is one of the most critical ways Fresno and neighboring cities will ever rise above the longtime poverty that has gripped this part of California. With education comes better opportunities and ultimately a better local economy and culture.
So removing obstacles to education — in whatever form — is a great idea. When State Center Community College District started offering free bus rides to students three years ago, it was a brilliant move. To now propose ending them for financial reasons is just the opposite — dumb and dumbfounding.
The background
In 2017 State Center began a one-year pilot project that offered students free rides to Fresno City and Clovis Community. Those students would show their passes when boarding city buses on routes to the campuses.
In each of the subsequent two years, the trustees approved continuing the ride program, at a cost of $300,000 per year. The funding was coming from monies meant for parking lot maintenance.
But earlier this year, in a move without board approval, Chancellor Paul Parnell and staff decided to end the bus program and return the funding to parking lot maintenance.
State Center gets no state money for deferred maintenance, and the longer any fix-it work is put off, the more it costs to do. Parnell’s thinking was that money had to come back to maintenance.
As it stands, the ride program will go through the summer and then end.
Since the program started, there have been more than 1 million student rides. Nearly 8,000 students have taken advantage of the program. Most of the riders are Latino, which mirrors the district’s overall student body.
The Bee’s Education Lab recently broke the story, which included the surprise of the seven trustees to learn about what was happening. That took place in January when a student told them of the development.
Parnell is now seeking other sources of assistance, like a clean air grant, as he looks for ways to continue the transportation. He is meeting with Fresno Mayor Lee Brand this week to discuss options, such as the city giving the district a reduced rate for rides. Funding could also come from state and federal sources.
Even the student government association is considering a $10 fee to keep the free transportation.
Long-term outlook
All that is welcome news to the student with epilepsy who, because of her illness and its unpredictable seizures, cannot drive herself to school. Or the young man who cannot afford a car and gas, and whose parents must remain at home with his blind brother.
The board is to meet March 10 at Reedley College and take up the long-term remedy.
That should be to fully fund the bus service. Even if some students use the bus to get to jobs, most are continuing their education. That is worth more than a line-item shift of money for a maintenance project. State Center seemingly can find the money from within its $225 million budget.
The value of a degree on someone’s future? Priceless.
Clarification
State Center Community College District and Fresno city transportation officials have worked out a way for free bus shuttles to continue for Fresno City College and Clovis Community College students who take classes at each of the other institutions. The shuttles run from River Park to Clovis Community and back. The service is unaffected by a broader discussion about bus service overall.
This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 10:23 AM.