Miami-Dade County Public Schools have created an expansive school choice system.
As the Miami Herald reports, the school district is also starting to create a transportation system to match. It's easier to manage a bus system when students are largely confined to neighborhood zones.
Choice schools — whether it’s a magnet, charter or advanced curriculum program – don’t typically provide transportation. Carpooling becomes difficult when your neighbors attend classes across the 2,000 square miles that make up Miami-Dade County. More than half of Miami-Dade students now attend a school they hand-picked.
For some, the commute is more than a hassle — it’s an impossibility that can cut a student off from the best school for his or her needs. With an eye towards equity, the Miami-Dade County school district is expanding busing options for some students when classes begin August 24. Eight schools will provide busing this year, serving 800 students, according to the district.
“We know transportation is impacting the ability of kids to get to some of these programs,” said Sylvia Diaz, an assistant superintendent overseeing school choice.
A lack of transportation can be barrier to true school choice. There isn't a school district in the state that provides more school choice options to more students over a larger land area than Miami-Dade. But it's hardly the only district grappling with how best to transport students to far-flung magnet programs and other options.
The Herald also hints at the next layer of complexity: Charter schools. The article notes some charter school parents in Miami-Dade scrape together money for private bus service.
Right now, state law says transportation cannot be a barrier to students attending charters, but schools can meet that requirement in different ways. They need that flexibility, because busing is often cost-prohibitive, especially when single schools are tasked with providing it themselves.
Is there a way for districts, with their larger economies of scale, to create centralized transportation systems that help charters overcome this problem? It could help create a more equitable system, and reduce barriers that keep some disadvantaged students from having access to the school of their choice.
