DECA, the magnet East Dayton charter high school, already was using First Student to get elementary and middle school students to school as Dayton Public transportation was unreliable, said David Taylor, the school’s CEO and superintendent.
Taylor said when he first heard the news that the state would block students from transferring through the downtown bus hub using school-issued bus passes, he thought the private school would need to find another solution for high school students to get to school.
But in speaking with the school’s attorney, Taylor said they realized the law only applied to traditional public schools, leaving DECA open to buy their own students passes.
“The RTA option has worked for our students historically, and many of our students have jobs,” Taylor said.
The students can use the RTA pass to get to their after-school job, Taylor said.
DECA is projecting to spend about $1.3 million in transportation costs this school year, Taylor said. The state will reimburse the charter school for about 40% of the cost of transportation, but the school is responsible for the rest.
Private school impact
Michael Franz, a spokesman for Carroll High School, said there have been “minimal impacts” on the private school this year due to the changes in busing at DPS.
Carroll is located in Riverside, but the high school attracts many city of Dayton students.
Franz noted DPS hasn’t bused students directly to Carroll in several years and isn’t required to provide bus transportation to private high schools since they don’t provide direct busing for those who attend public schools.
“The law requires that the district provide the same transportation options to all students, regardless of if they attend public or private schools, so this creates an obstacle for some of our families as well,” Franz said.
Similarly, Tina Wagoner, director of marketing and communications for Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School, said no families have reported issues getting to school due to transportation. School started on Thursday.
“We shared the DPS decision with impacted families this summer, advising parents to make appropriate arrangements as needed,” Wagoner said.
DPS stopped busing high school students in the 2022-2023 school year and began providing RTA passes to high school students. The district cited changes in the state law that increased fines if buses did not get to charter and parochial schools on time and chose to focus on making sure elementary and middle school students were bused by DPS staff.
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