Frustrated parents packed a Milwaukee Public Schools board meeting Tuesday night, as the district considers cutting school bus service for about 1,000 students.
It's one of several options the board is considering to deal with an expected $30 million deficit next school year.
This is the second week in a row many parents waited hours for the chance to talk to the school board, many sharing personal stories about how taking away the school bus will deeply affect their families.
This meeting was originally scheduled to take place April 10, but was postponed when the meeting went too late in the evening.
This proposal affects about 12 city-wide specialty schools in the district, that currently accept students no matter where they live.
If these cuts are made, about 800 students who live more than seven miles from their school would lose access to a school bus.
"It creates a huge burden," said Jason Keaton, whose daughter attends the German Immersion School within MPS.
Keaton says he and his wife moved to Milwaukee just so their daughter could attend that school, but they would likely have to change schools if she can't ride the bus.
"The fear is that this will be the first step in the downfall of our specialty schools, especially the language immersion programs," said Keaton.
The district is also considering eliminating transportation for 200 students of arts specialty schools, including Elm Creative Arts, Milwaukee Parkside and Kluge Elementary.
There was also a great deal of concern at Tuesday's meeting over how this proposal might lead to more segregation in Milwaukee schools.
"One of the highlights of the school is the diversity of our population," said Paul Post, whose child attends the French Immersion School. "If you put a geographic boundary around who can make it to the school, we are just re-segregating our schools."
Even some board members shared the same concern.
"It would be a travesty for this board to take this opportunity away from our children," said MPS Board Member Wendell J. Harris Sr.
The MPS superintendent Darienne Driver addressed this concern at the beginning of the meeting.
"Transportation is how we correct segregation in our city," she said. "That is not something being ignored."
The budget is still being finalized and everything discussed on Tuesday will go into its development, which will be presented to the full board in early May.
