High school bus pass pilot passes final hurdle at school board

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A program that will see some students at a London high school hop on London Transit buses instead of yellow school buses has sped past its final road block at the Thames Valley District school board.

The bus pass project at Clarke Road secondary school moves to developing a memorandum of understanding between the Thames Valley District school board, the city and London Transit that will acknowledge the roles and responsibilities of each of the players.

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At a board meeting Tuesday, Thames Valley trustees approved the board’s role in the project for the secondary school transit pass pilot program partnership.

The pilot program would grant London Transit bus passes to Grade 9 and 10 students at Clarke Road. The initiative faced several hurdles including the number of staff hours involved to administer it, which could mean other work would be delayed.

The Clarke Road plan would start with 225 Grade 9 students in the first year, and include Grade 10 students in the second year, for a total enrolment of 450 students.

Clarke Road was chosen for the pilot project because several transit routes serve the east-end school.

“(The bus pass program) aligns with provincial priorities, and our student and multi-year strategic plan,” trustee Lori-Ann Pizzolato said. “It could increase graduation rates and decrease absence rates, as well as increase student achievement.

“This decision could affect a program that could change student’s lives for years in the future.”

Amid a bus driver shortage, Pizzolato pitched the idea of the pilot program, based on a project rolled out for high schoolers in Kingston more than a decade ago. The London pilot was supposed to start in 2024, but was delayed until this fall.

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There are similar programs in Halifax, Orangeville and Victoria.

School board staff say the program requirements – especially a survey – would put extra pressure on the deficit-ridden board’s research and assessment team already heavily engaged in the board’s financial recovery plan.

“But we’re dedicated to shifting work as required,” said Christine Stager, manager of research and assessment services.

It will cost the board about $5,000 to distribute bus passes to the students, senior staff said.

“It’s a good use of the money,” Pizzolato said. “It’s money going directly to the students.”

A prior city hall report noted the two-year pilot program would cost roughly $900,000 during both years.

“It’s a great opportunity to partner with all of these community partners who are willing to do and fund the majority of this work, which is huge, given where we are at,” trustee Christian Sachs said.

The Thames Valley board deficit for the 2024-25 school year has jumped to $16.8 million, up from $16.5 million in October, trustees learned this month.

The board is also undergoing a provincial audit into its operations and finances, announced after The London Free Press uncovered a $38,000 retreat by 18 senior administrators last August.

hrivers@postmedia.com

@HeatheratLFP

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