EDITORIAL: GIPS school bus experiment can make a difference to many students

The Grand Island public schools embarked on a new venture this week -- and it wasn't just the start of a new school year.

The schools began running three bus routes Wednesday, one each for Senior High, Barr Middle School and Walnut Middle School.

It's really a grand experiment as no one knows just how much interest there is or how many riders there will be.

But even with those uncertainties, it's an experiment worth pursuing. Absences from school are a key determinant in the success a young person has in school. The more a child is absent, the farther he or she falls behind and the harder it is to catch up.

It's like running a race but having to start way behind the other competitors.

So the proof of whether the buses are worth the cost will be in what impact they have on attendance.

The lack of transportation can make it a challenge for some students to get to school every day. In more and more families, both parents or the single parent is working, often beginning their shift at 6 or 7 a.m. These families try to work out transportation arrangements for their children, but those can fall through or be inconsistent.

While many of us like to be nostalgic about walking or riding a bike to school, it's not that easy, especially in cold winter conditions. And as far as the secondary schools in Grand Island, students can have a great distance to go to school. Going from the south end of the city to Senior High is a seven mile jaunt. Middle school students could live three or four miles away from school.

Furthermore, the high price of gas is causing many people to look for ways to lower the number of trips they take in the car. These school buses offer an opportunity to save going across town in heavy traffic twice a day.

So the $243,936 the school district is paying for the buses is worth the cost if it makes it easier for some students to get to school and succeed there.

The challenge now is for the school district to encourage students lacking transportation to ride the buses. That will take making sure the routes aren't too long and the system is convenient and safe.