With summer break nearly half over, Promontory parents are turning their attention back to school, and some are now finding out they’ve got a bill to pay.
With Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt Elementary/Middle School set to open at 5337 Tyson Road in September, Promontory kids are no longer in the catchment area for Mt. Slesse Middle School. Parents who wish to keep their kids at Mt. Slesse, which isn’t far away from the new school, will have to pay $270 for school bus service that was free last year.
Email notifications arriving recently sparked lively conversation on Facebook.
“Pretty sure this charge was on the note when we were to choose which school to attend, so it wasn’t a surprise to me,” wrote Karen Vandenberg. “Still silly, as either way there are buses going down the hill and they pass by Slesse to get to the new school.”
RELATED: Learning begins with new indigenous name for Chilliwack school
RELATED: Chilliwack’s newest schools to be named Imagine High and Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt
“Don’t get me wrong, I totally appreciate having the option to pay for a seat on the bus over having her walk 5.4 kilometres down Promontory Road at 7 a.m. in winter darkness, or through trails at dawn in bear and cougar roaming season, plus driving her is inefficient and not possible anyway,” added Heather McDonald Solomon. “It’s just I find it bonkers that if she went 700 meters further on the bus by choosing to attend a new school and leave all her friends behind, she’d be classed as a regular rider.”
Chilliwack School District 33 discussed bus fees during a lengthy ‘boundary review’ process, which included one live and one virtual town hall meeting in September 2021, so most parents aren’t completely blindsided by the change. Bus fees are also capped at $540 per family.
“I moved here from a community where buses weren’t even an option. They just plain didn’t exist,” wrote Facebook poster Cat Eh. “$270 a year to drive my kid to school and back every day, with professional drivers who actually care about the kids they are transporting, saving me time and money on gas on a daily basis? Take my money. Every time.”
“$270 for 10 months back and forth to school is beyond cheap,” Matt Kohanik noted. “It’d cost you more to drive your kids yourself, if parents are even able to drive their children because of work or anything else.”
“When I moved to chilliwack, the options were drive your kid to the school you want or nothing,” added Naomi Kennedy. “The schools here are still better schools than anywhere else so pick your battles and pay the bus drivers to get them to where you want.”
@ProgressSports
eric.welsh@theprogress.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.