Private school bus proposal proves challenging
(CNS): Hope for a reprieve from traffic congestion with the introduction of buses for private schools was dashed in parliament Tuesday when Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly revealed that little progress had been made on a private member’s motion proposing the idea. Answering questions from Sir Alden McLaughlin (RED), who presented it in April, O’Connor-Connolly said there were a number of challenges in the way.
McLaughlin said it was obvious that when the private schools are on vacation, the traffic congestion improves significantly. He noted that the parliament had unanimously supported the motion to have the private schools get their own buses, even if that meant helping those schools with public money.
O’Connor-Connolly said there were financial and logistical challenges as well as child safety issues with the idea. She also spoke about a lack of cooperation on the part of the bus owners, who were worried about purchasing buses for a contract they might not retain.
She told MPs that the government was committed to trying to arrive at a positive conclusion but so far, there had not been a great deal of success.
McLaughlin said there were “many things people in the private sector don’t agree with”, but matters that affect the quality of life for everyone who lives here have to be dealt with through legislation or policy.
The minister said that she had presented a note to Cabinet, but there were severe restrictions on seeing the policy become a reality because the private schools do not have catchment areas and because the bus owners are reluctant to buy new buses without any guarantees on contracts.
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Category: Education, Local News, Politics
Will the Government (civil service) please tell the public how much they pay per month for a school bus? Per bus please.
If they did that, then the public might discover there is graft which is possibly going on.
My kids go to private school. If there was a safe and reliable option that would extricate me from the daily purgatory of the school run I’d happily pay for the service.
I’m under 30 making 6k a month and I refuse to have kids.
They’re “the best thing to ever happen” to parents on their personal social media pages yet I constantly see them also posting about hardships these days. Gentrified middle-upper classes by expats that bought up land for PR points, and nuked middle-lower classes due to imported poverty. Parents wishing they could afford to move out of an apartment they lucked out to get because no landlord wants kids here. Waking up at 4 am to get them to school on time, getting home near sunset after paying late fee for picking them up because traffic and still ga cook and clean..
Unna have fun picking them up, I’ll be at mykonos.
too many people have too many kids. very true.
We can only buy the land that you sell to us.
Looking back, I think Cayman could completely sustain the current population without all of these hardships.
It’s just a bunch of politicians kicking the can down the road until the road full of traffic and nothing can get done until SOMEONE actually does something.
I honestly would have kids if it was easier, because I can afford to, but na, I love the little freedom I get too much. I can hop over to Denver every month for my legal draw of weed because Juju promised us local production when she campaigned against Elvis, then that was that.
As a born and raised Caymanian (multigenerational too for whatever tf that means these days) – I do not blame expats. WE sold out Cayman. So fk the birth rate.
We don’t need school buses.
We need a decent public transport system for everyone with buses that runs on time, 7 days a week, doesn’t decide to not go as far as North Side because they don’t know if there will be a rider there and running till past midnight.
our politicians never cease to amaze me when it comes to acting in the Caymanians’ best interest. They can legislate that we can’t buy vehicles >7 years but cannot legislate that ALL primary school to high school students must travel either by bus, or walk or bike. Those students who live within a 1 mile radius of their school should have to walk or bike to school. What’s wrong with a 5 or 20 minute walk?
The RCIPS can’t even police people driving without insurance or a licence – how do you propose to police that lol.
And illegal window tint and illegal lighting and missing front plates and parking on double yellows and not indicating and following too closely and etc, etc
Are you insane? Legislate the way kids get to school? Cayman is not Netherlands. It has no infrastructure to support biking. Cayman has Neanderthal Mentally towards biking.
Everything that makes sense is CHALLENGING, everything that is stupid get a green light without delay
Pretty much summed up Cayman politics. Nobody likes to tackle the issues. Just prefer to try and take the easy, lazy and illogical way out.
It’s also compounded by extremely wealthy local families who all have financial interests in things NOT improving. Car sales, gas stations etc.
Grocery stores, CUC, etc
You really think these rich CIS parents will send their precious little offspring to school on some bus?
No chance. Mommy & Daddy’s little angels must ride in the Tesla or Range Rover.
how do you know they are all filthy rich? just like you and everyone else they work for a living, they went to school and got educated and now have student loans to pay, they support elderly parents.
one of the most disgusting traits is to count money in someone else’s pocket
Maybe its because they can afford paying college tuition for primary school.
@ 20/09/2023 at 3:24 pm – You’re an idiot. Not all CIS parents are rich. Many CIS parents who are Caymanians choose to send their kids to CIS because our government leaders prefer to placate Caymanians by pouring hundreds of millions of our taxpayer dollars into shiny new brick-and-mortar public schools, rather than into the education itself. Many of us Caymanian CIS parents choose to put the bulk of our incomes into educating our children, so they have a better chance to COMPETE. Many of us choose to do this, rather than putting our kids in public schools, spending our incomes on ourselves and then hoping for the best.
Having children is a responsibility. Giving your children the best shot in life that you can afford? That’s just being responsible.
To be fair, the original comment from 3:24 didn’t say that ALL CIS parents are rich.
It said that ‘rich CIS parents’ won’t send their kids on a bus. And I actually agree that they won’t.
Perhaps you should go to CIS with your kids and brush up on your reading comprehension.
@21/09/2023 at 9:22 am – Perhaps you should look up the meaning of the word implied?
Actually, it reads pretty clearly. I don’t think it implied what you claim.
However, people see what they want to see.
Drones. Buy a load and tie them to the students. Heli-drop them in and out daily.
Who’s with me?
Oh, and ban leaf blowers.
There will be an actual bus service one day. The person who introduces such a wild scheme will be added to the list of national heroes!
FFS. As others point out. These new stretches of tarmac, make them into bus lanes and police it. Have modern, clean, professionally driven buses with a/c and wifi, that have schedules, and the gridlock will just evaporate.
IT’S NOT DIFFICULT!!!!
Ain’t no wotes in having an efficient bus service. What will all those unemployed McKeeva woters do then? Probably become beach vendors instead I would assume.
Deliver the bike lanes promised in 2015. Eight years of bullshit.
Paging Joey “Who?”
In the late 60’s and early 70’s I was fortunate to attend a church junior school. I rode a specific buss (from WB) to and from school every day. The small cost was paid by the parents.
When my child attended the same school in the 90’s, I assisted the PTA with attempting to arrange a similar service. The vast majority of parents were not interested.
I think the private schools should be canvassing their parents to see what the reasons are for not wanting to use a bus service. Overcoming some/all of these reasons is the crux of this matter, if only for 50% of students.
This should not be for the government to arrange. However, please note that many children attending the various government schools also get driven to school in spite of a bus service paid for by the tax payers.
Does this woman just XXXX do nothing??? every time some intuition comes into play, she runs scared – move over and let someone else do your job COME ON!
Schoolbusses would be a great help, not only to lessen the traffic congestion but also for convenience for parents and children. No, not every parent who sends their child/ren to private school appreciates the fact that they have to drop them or find/pay someone to do it. The problem is: THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION! Please do your research before commenting foolishness.
headline should be:
doing stuff proves challenging for ju-ju.
Not exactly news tho is it.
We don’t need ‘private school buses’ or ‘public school buses’. We just need buses! A properly run bus system. Why is that so hard? Most countries seem to be able to manage it, and have had that for 100 years, why can’t we? If I knew I could walk to a bus stop and every 10 minutes a bus would show up and take me to town, or West Bay Road or Camana Bay. I would gladly take it.
Such a underrated comment. This really is the solution!!!
We have a billion dollar budget for this tiny island. It could be free for everyone and you still couldn’t even find it in the budget. Proper busses too not these third world vans.
Yep, in Bermuda school age kids take public buses to get around if they have to.
Applause! So true!
Yep. Wouldn’t just put my kid on the bus – I would take one to work. Save the drive and the parking.
Similar to Bermuda, in Switzerland children ride public buses to and from school, and if living within a certain radius of school they walk/ride bikes. Very sensible.
The vast majority of cars doing a school drop would be on the road going to work in anycase. The problem is that times for the drop offs and picks ups at the schools are so close together – 8am/3pm. Have the school days adjusted by 30mins each way (1hr total) would make a huge difference.
Simply not true. It is also congestion in areas where it wouldn’t otherwise be.
If there is a bus going to your kid’s school, please put your kid on it.
Mind your business.
Almost everyone I know drops their kid at school on the way to work or the gym… you’re talking nonsense.
free money making solution:
single child occupancy cars are charged $2 per visit for dropping off or picking up on school grounds.
people will soon learn to car-pool.
Right. When you pay thousands of dollars a year for your child to attend that school you are going to suddenly change your families transportation habits because of a $2 a day charge? Government is running into the uncomfortable truth that there are limits on what it can force the private sector to do – especially when it tries to apply different rules to different groups. And BTW, good luck with persuading private school kids to take a bus even if it’s free.
its the way of the world….
the op solution is achievable and will force peoople to change their lazy habits
why do you think private school kids won’t take a bus?? Give me a break! Kids love riding on buses.
Stop being the problem and be part of the solution. Paying top dollar for private schools doesn’t mean you are somehow excluded from reality. Yes private kids will take buses like they do everywhere else on the planet. Stop being a helicopter.
You are excluded from reality if you ignore the realities of human behaviour. $2 is not enough to make people who can spend $20ka kid a year on school change their behaviour. As for taking a school bus like “everywhere else on the planet” the US and Canada are not everywhere else. In Europe kids take public transport – but here the available public transport is limited in capacity, unpredictable and arguably dangerous.
Clueless. Have you ever been off island?
more wonderland stuff…
ju-ju has done nothing because the solution means addressing some ‘issues’……..zzzzz
if caymanians can’t do the basics of governance then lets find some other people to do it.
“Other people” are running your own government back home; no doubt they have exactly what you’re looking for.
You would think the government would be interested to addressing the social decay we are seeing manifested in the public schools as a matter of top priority.
Nah. They just want to expand it and mess up preschoolers.
Got to dumb them down from as early as possible if they want they votes.
There would be no need if we had a proper public transport system. No school buses when I went to school (over 50 years ago). We used public bus systems with bus passes allowing us to travel for free.
Kenny boy is on it.
Remember we go straight to work after drop off. We don’t go home and then complain about the traffic, have a nap, then turn up late to work.
Maybe you do, but that is not true for everyone. Plenty of helpers are employed to drop kids to school then return to the family home to wash all the dishes that piled up over the weekend.
LMAO only in Cayman, which is the absolute, complete personification of wild west, two sides capitalist society do our politicians thing they can force people to send their kids to schools in Taxis (that’s what they are) whilst simultaneously not providing anywhere enough opportunity or incentive for them to join the public school system.
Imagine a country that imports the worst doctors on the planet, then charges its people a fortune for the privilege because “free market, USA good” and then try’s to mandate private citizens, going to private schools (which are only going there because of 3rd world religious lunatics and imported Jamaicans in the 1st place) set up a school transport system.
The opposite is you know, actually build a functioning 1st world public transport system. We could even introduce double decker buses like Hong Kong!! Oh no, we can’t because you sold the f**** island to Dart and he built a single story Bridge over the only bloody road from West Bay to GT. So that’s out of the window. let’s blame it on immigrants though.
These politicians and the Caymanian elites know the gig it up. It’s an open secret in Lodge meetings. They discuss it openly and their actions speak volumes. Why do you think they don’t address any issues that impact normal people? because they know the Cayman Islands days are numbered and they want to keep the ladder up whilst they cash in their chips, pass the bag to us and book their first class ticket onto the Ark (or Jamaica and New York as the two morons in charge of tourism and immigration would do)
Alden knows it’s a non-starter. Just pushing buttons.
I’d love to see JuJu try to stop me from dropping and picking up my children from school.
The private schools will charge for this and it’s already costly for my kids to attend. More isn’t always best so why are making this place so overcrowded and expensive?
Don’t you know that government’s goal is to drive up private school costs so they can entrap more children in public schools?
I agree there is no way my perfect children who have a very comfortable life in a wealthy family are going to mix with other kids of a lower status when I can drive them to school in my 80k Audi which is also a good opportunity to show the other parents just how wealthy I am and how important I am to my darling children. Now, if you will excuse me I have to write about how to save the planet and reduce carbon emissions.
I am aware you are trying to be funny and that those people certainly do exist. However, there are also those of us who sacrifice many luxuries in order to afford our children the best opportunities for success, including private school tuition.
Many of us are fortunate enough to have attended public school in the Cayman Islands in our youth, and are saddened by the failures of successive Ministers, Ministerial staff and those at the helm of the Education Department. It truly is a sad state of affairs that these persons continue to be allowed to contribute to the downfall of our society, and get paid for it.
The only comment worth reading in this entire chain!
Strong agree. That’s what Caribbeanisation of our islands has done. Simple and factual.
They see what happens in Jamaica and other islands and how the other politicians get rich and adored whilst delivering nothing for the people and they want their slice.
Well I got some news for you. I made those sacrifices for my children to attend private school, but it got to the point I could no longer afford it and switched to public school. I was very pleasantly surprised how well they are doing and taking advantage of the many after school activities offered. As long as the parents of public school get involved, your kids will be fine.
I agree with your elitist opinion but saving the planet and reducing carbon emissions is something that everyone should be acting on and actually, the elite are part of the biggest problem. Luxury is not always best and chasing it is the Caribbean problem.
When PPM gets back in power, won’t Sir Alden have JuJu as his education minister again? She certainly has lots of challenges like all the fights at the school but hey, that why she is getting the big pay for.
No thanks. My au paire will drive my kid to school. I can afford to.
Lmfao stupid
It’s strange to me the private schools don’t have buses. All that tuition and you still gotta wake up and drop your kid off..
You must be new here bobo. That’s exactly what private school parents pay for…the ability not to put their kids on government school buses full of hooligans and drop them off safely themselves.
I guess time ain’t money
Can you imagine how the public school kids feel when reading this? They are not all bad, like everywhere else a few rotten apples but the ones I have met and know are great kids. Have a heart but most of all use your brain.
Private school parent right here… I beg to differ! I pass a few JGHS buses on the way to drop off my kids and wish I could get my hands on their uniforms so my kids can catch a ride to school and then change like Superman into their private school uniform and walk a few blocks to get to their school! Lots of us would pay to send our kids on the bus and not have to make those drop offs!!
See the comment above you about the au pair? Half these people don’t even know their pickney’s middle names, much less dropping them to school every morning.
They pay their ‘helpers’ to do it!
…and the majority pay as low as the law permits.
Not true. The majority of expats pay their helpers/nanny’s well. It’s mostly the Caymanian ‘I can’t afford it’ group that pay slave wages & expect 70 hours a week, no extra for overtime/Sundays/holidays & no ticket home every year.
Sure thing, massa.