Kids Protest The End Of Free Student Metrocards

We as taxpayers pay for the schools, teachers, meals and the kids transportation to and fro school.Then when the kids fail or drop out it's the school system's fault. Where is the personal responsibility parents should have for the children they decide to bring into this world. This is ridiculous, parents should contribute half the fare for their kids transportation cost. It's not society responsibility to support other people's children. Enough!

I agree. If they can find money to waste on useless Public Works projects. They can find money so kids can get to school. Or they can work it out like they do the lunch program. If the parents earn less than a certain amount they get free lunch. Over a certain amount they pay half price. And then you have those that pay for lunch. There are all sorts of ways to do this.

A monthly metrocard for one child per year is roughly $1100. A family with three kids (not even going overboard with fecundity) would suddenly have to dig up an extra $3300 per year just to get their children to school. That is not unsubstantial.

For all of you who complain that your tax dollars go to children you didn't personally have... If you're too self centered to simply understand that enriching our children means less stupid people we have to deal with later then how about this?...

Remember that lack of education promotes sustained poverty. Sustained poverty increases crime. Better to educate those kids than leave them dumb and unable to get a job... Then you'd have to pay even more for public assistance or court/incarceration costs. Which sounds better?

Costs about as much to get a kid to school for a year as it does to take care of a cat. Off the Kittehs. Support children and their need for education.

Why should I have to pay for your child's transportation? I work hard. I need to in order to survive in NYC and pay my rent and bills...including my metro card. Why should my hard earned dollars be used for your kid? If you can't aford a simple metro card for your child, maybe you shouldn't have had a child in the first place. I'm sick of the pity party people. If you want a child, know how to support them. I'm sick of MY HARD EARNED TAX DOLLARS going towards things that have no benefit to me or my city.

When was the last time you voted?

I'm sick of my tax dollars going to support the war in Iraq, salaries for Republican politicians, sports stadiums and tax breaks for religious organizations, but we don't always get what we want. Part of living in a democracy is realizing that your tax dollars may not always be used for things that directly benefit you.

Education benefits us all by hopefully producing young adults who are literate, productive members of the workforce and society.

Because that is how it is done everywhere else in the country. I never had to pay to ride the bus to school, and you didnt either, did you?

And how does educating children have no benefit to either you or your city? You're an idiot.

"I never had to pay to ride the bus to school"

No, but your parents paid for it along with everyone else in your district, through school taxes. Buses don't run for free.

So if you're going to make that comparison, you're arguing that DOE should pick up the cost and school taxes should be raised to cover it. That's "how it is done everywhere else in the country."

school tax? lol wtf is school tax...there's no such thing. your property tax (if you even own a house) goes towards the school districts.....have you even seen somebody paying 10K a year in property tax with a shitty public school in their district?

These kids need to shut up. The important thing is that the TWU is still getting their yearly 4% raises.

Honestly I doubt most of the commenters here have kids or have ever been part of the NYC public school system. The system requires free transportation because of they way that the school system is laid out. Even your zone school may require that you hop on a bus, especially when we we start talking about high schools, which BTW, your city is in the process of shutting many of them down.

If the MTA cuts the Metrocard system, then the school system collapses, because most students do not go to their zone schools. Manhattan and Bronx high schools are not zoned at all, and many schools in Brooklyn or Queens require admission. These non zone schools large in part require students from various distances, and almost none of the population in the school live in these neighborhoods. Shutting down the metrocard program will stagnate their admissions and yes, will probably force a few of them to shut down due to low attendance

So any of the idiots above who say that its a good thing that the student metrocard service might get scrapped should move out of the city promptly, because there's nothing that spurs crime more than making it difficult to receive and education. Not to mention that this would trigger an exodus of the low and middle class from the city, creating an economic disaster.

Yep. This isn't a city where middle and high school students can just walk around the corner to their friendly neighborhood school.

All this is going to do is ensure that students' access to quality education in the city is even more restricted. Which in turn will affect their college options, which in turn will affect their long-term futures.

Not to mention that this would trigger an exodus of the low and middle class from the city, creating an economic disaster. -IF they can't afford to pay for their children' bus passes then I doubt they have much of an economic impact if they flee the city. Most people even without children know that kids don't attend their zone schools. NOthing new. The question is should kids that CAN afford to pay receive FREE PASSES? MY opinion is NO.

Yes, it would be an economic disaster. A city needs all economic classes to survive, if the guy who is driving the bus can suddenly not afford to send his children to school, then he will be forced to leave the city. Have enough low and working class earners have a similar situation, and then the city will fall onto itself due to the missing tax revenue and lack of low wage earners entering the city. In the past, the people you would turn to to fill this gap is immigrants, but with a $1000 per year tax for each of their children, I doubt you'll see unskilled workers coming to the city in great numbers anymore.

Its simple economics. You cannot have a city filled with only the wealthy, it will never be able to sustain itself, and you cannot expect that the surrounding areas would funnel in poor workers, especially now where we are seeing much of long island and northern NJ price these people out. When they leave, they're leaving the tristate for good.

Yes, you are right about the immigrants filling the gap of the exodus. You can see it in any business in manhattan that employes immigrants since the working class can't afford the city without a living wage. this is what Thompson ran on, how the working class were being driven out of the city and into the outer boroughs. But they can't even afford the outer boroughs anymore because all the small businesses hire illegals as well. I don't want the city with only wealthy folks, they perverse the west village and chelsea. It's a playground for them. But I still want the rich kids to pay for their own MTA passes.

Actually, "society" is obligated to give everyone a free education if they so choose it. The federal government doesn't take this upon themselves, but the states do.

Based on what?, It's not a natural right. Society is prohibited from standing in your way but it isn't obligated to give you free education.

No, actually, by New York State law, students are entitled to a free education.

§ 3202. Public schools free to resident pupils; tuition from nonresident pupils. 1. A person over five and under twenty-one years of age who has not received a high school diploma is entitled to attend the public schools maintained in the district in which such person resides without the payment of tuition.

Yes, it states he is entitled but the State isn't obligated to provide free education. The state can closed all public schools and not provide any education for anyone. What it is prohibited from doing is barring students from attending the schools (when opened) based on color, race, sex etc.... but it isn't obligated. As you stated there is no federal law and the states take it upon themselves. NYS provides free education but it isn't obligated by any constitution (Federal or State). In reality Society doesn't owe us anything but it should do no harm by prohibiting us unless it's for the greater good.

What? This doesn't even make sense. The law provides that students must receive free education. Discrimination is covered in a different section of the education laws.

Every single state have similar laws. ALL states are accountable to the federal Department of Education for fulfilling the requirements of the various federal laws governing public education, such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind) and Public Law 94-142, which mandates free education for disabled students.

So NO, NYS couldn't close down all the public schools.

I have to look at that further. I am uncertain where I read that society isn't under an obligation. Perhaps I am wrong. I'm not certain on this issue.

Now please point out which law says a metrocard is suppose to be free to students.

There are several New York State laws which require free transportation to be provided to students in some form:

§ 1807. Transportation of school children. 1. The commissioner of education shall have power in any such central school district to require the payment by the district of such expense of transportation of school children to and from the schools they legally attend within the district as in his judgment such transportation is required because of

the remoteness of the school to the pupil or for the promotion of the best interests of such children and the same shall be a charge upon the district.

Also see: Education Law Article 73P2 (Aidable Transportation Expense) and Education Law Article 73P3, among others.

So no, technically they are not required to provide a Metrocard but they are required to provide students with some sort of transportation. A fleet of school buses for JHS and HS students would probably be a hell of a lot more expensive than the Metrocards.

"§ 1807. Transportation of school children. 1. The commissioner of education shall have power in any such central school district to require the payment by the district of such expense of transportation of school children to and from the schools they legally attend within the district as in his judgment such transportation is required because of

the remoteness of the school to the pupil or for the promotion of the best interests of such children and the same shall be a charge upon the district."

Let's simplify that, and emphasize a couple of important clauses, because apparently all the mumbo-jumbo in there has you confused:

"The commissioner of education... in any such central school district... shall have power... to require the payment [by the district]... of such expense of transportation... [when] in his judgment such transportation is required because of the remoteness of the school to the pupil."

That is clearly not a law which "requires free transportation to be provided to students in some form," as it leaves the decision in the hands of the commissioner. And and it is clearly not aimed at a situation like that in NYC -- which is not even a "central school district" as defined in NYS law.

As much as I don't like handouts, this is a failure on the state and city who used to give funding for the cards but no longer.

Are there any public schools in America that don't have a method of free transportation for students to get to school, whether it be a bus or a metrocard? If the student can't get to school, it hurts the general welfare of the city and the state and deprives the kid the opportunity to get an education.

Maybe there should be special timed metrocards that only work w/in the hours of when school gets in and lets out?

Maybe there should be special timed metrocards that only work w/in the hours of when school gets in and lets out? - from my understanding, these passes are already limited to school hours.

That doesn't necessarily work in NYC high schools because not every kid starts and finishes their day at the same time. You have kids that go in early, kids that leave late due to school clubs, and so forth. Add in the travel time...there are plenty of students that have to be on the train at 6am to get to class on time.

I wasn't aware. Interesting to know.

ugh. that reply was meant for my thread above.

nevermind. this commenting system could use an overhaul.

Wow, more morons than usual here today.

Students should not have to pay to get to public school of their choice, it doesn't matter how much money their parents make. It is all part of the free public education that each student is entitled to. There are no buses for public schools (unless they have special programming- special education, etc.) so the DOE should be responsible for getting the kids to and from school.

Think back to when (if) you went to a public school. Did you have to pay for your school bus?

This is a fight between the DOE and MTA and unfortunately they are dragging the students into it. I am not a fan of how the MTA runs things, but they have been providing free and reduced fares for students when the DOE should in part (at least) subsidize that as part of what it costs to educate a child.

So You're ok with Upper East Couple's, with based income of 200K, child receiving a free MTA pass? I'm not. And Society is not obligated to give EVERYONE a FREE education but that ALL are given the same educational opportunities. So of course a society should help kids who can't afford an education but not every child.

Do rich kids in the suburbs get to ride the school bus for free? Yes.

You seem to forget that the parents of these children pay NYC, NYS, and federal income tax and pay NYC and NYS property tax directly or through their landlord. So are you saying they should have to pay taxes toward a public good (transportation to school), but then have to pay again because "they can afford it"? How is that fair?

for all you transplants, when i was going to school here, my bus pass was based on my parent's income so i'm not sure when the doe stopped using a needs-based system but it would not be a new idea.

they should stop paying their workers overtime pay, pay them normal pay. usually its the old timers who gets first picks to do the overtime and they already have super high pay. if they stop that they'll have enough money for alot of things.

I agree with that! The overtime is a huge expense. I don't get no overtime no more. (Barron-talk) Why should those lazy a-holes?

But the the 1/2 billion the MTA gave to Bloomberg's friend Ratner doesn't trouble you? No let's pick on those black folks since we are klan folks.

"Klan folks"? You're really reaching, Felix. Step away from the computer.

No, i am not overreaching since the Klan likes to mimic how they perceived Blacks. All the attack on Barron is his manner of speaking. Kind of racist, isn't it. Same people who claim Barron is racist. Sorry if Barron doesn't sound white enough for you but that shouldn't be used against him.

So, you think that only black people speak in this incorrect manner? Now that's racist! I suggest you emerge from your shoebox in Chelsea sometime and take a trip to the South (or Midwest, for that matter) so you may see firsthand plenty of white people butchering the English language.

Unsurprising, where are all the commenters who sensitivities are hurt by "I hate Bloomberg" posts but not by "I hate Barron" post. Some Humans live in small boxes.

Because Barron is the piece of shit.

FYI- Barron talks a LOUD game but he has empathy for people's struggles. Quinn has no Soul- she is void of any human compassion. Just look at their voting records, Barron voted at least 70% of the time against Quinn. At least he has a backbone. The other city council members as Inez dickens, who sold out Harlem, vote along Quinn in exchange for slush funds and committees.

OK. Barron needs to STFU. Ghetto people need to learn how to live on their own without handouts. If you can't pay for your kids and all it takes to raise them then don't make them. Seriously, ask yourself Does the world really need another kid raised by folks with no money and hardly a concept on how a child should be raised?

Who are you referring to? Blacks, Latinos, Albanians, Irish, Hasidics etc .. because I seen some of them with many kids or are you just referring to blacks since you don't see to like them?

Barron is in the same category as Brawley-era Sharpton. Jus trunning his mouth in the street. Not actually doing anything constructive. Just a windbag. Like I said, teach these ghetto folks to save their money instead of spending it at the clubs and on McDonalds and use it towards something constructive like taking yours or your kids asses to school. Do something for yourself. These same ghetto kids will make fun of you in school for wearing the same shit everyday and they have all the hot ghetto fashions. WHere do they live? Projects. Any money in the bank? The time these kids and parents take to stand out and protest they could clean themselves up and look decent then go get a job like everyone else.

If the city could provide decent public schools in close proximity to every child maybe this would be remotely fair. The way the MTA mishandles funds, this service is the least they can do for us. I am glad that the MTA offers a living wage to its employees, but their continuing policy of raises, fare increases, and service cuts are insane. And zone pricing goes into effect how is a family with multiple children in schools in a different borough going to keep up?

As much as I hate the MTA and the TWU, it was NYS that cut funding for the student metrocards. We're broke because we've created an unsustainable system of programs/benefits/handouts without sufficient tax revenues to support it. These politicians should point fingers at themselves because they are just as corrupt and dishonest as the MTA.

Any dipshit student who tries to delay my train is getting a knife in his asshole.

You'll get a couple 9mm in your gut.

Easy there Travis Bickle...

from that kid

cheeky!

The criticism against Barron is based probably on the NY Post's rhetoric. They can't stand an outspoken black man. Look at Barron's vote record. He is for affordable housing, against public funding of private sport stadium, against extending term limits etc. Barron call out Bloomberg while Quinn took orders from her king. Ask any community organizers (white and Black) and they will tell you that Barron fights for what is right. Sometimes he just says things out of anger. But he is one of the city council member who will actually meet with you and listen with an OPEN MIND unlike Quinn. Shame how people attack Barron without even knowing him or about his voting history in the city council.

I'm sorry, but I really can't take anyone seriously who speaks as poorly as Barron. Further, he kind of turns me off with all his hate-filled nonsense directed towards the "white man". If Barron was white and said the same things, but switched the terms black and white, we'd all be screaming for his resignation, and rightly so.

but I really can't take anyone seriously who speaks as poorly as Barron. I find Quinn's rosie o donnell's voice unbearable. Baron's words are sometimes taken out of context by the New York Post. They hate Barron or anyone who challenges their agenda. it's true. Why do you think NY post has spend almost a year attacking Patterson? They wanted guiliani as Governor. the NY Post doesn't report news but they make propaganda. can't cap, i eating with my other hand.

I was referring more to comments such as these: "You know, some days I get so frustrated I just want to go up to the closest white person and say, 'You can't understand this, it's a black thing,' and then slap him, just for my mental health." I'm pretty sure that if I, a white woman, said the same thing about black people it would be construed as pretty damned racist, because it would be.

Yes, Quinn's accent bothers me, but at least she can string words together to correctly form a sentence. Barron drives me crazy with his incessant use of double negatives. Someone in his midst should enlighten him to the fact that he usually ends up saying the opposite of what he intends.

"You know, some days I get so frustrated I just want to go up to the closest white person and say, 'You can't understand this, it's a black thing,' and then slap him, just for my mental health."

He made that comment years ago and it's was a mistake but it doesn't mean he isn't a good city council. I mean Bloomberg told his female execute to abort it and told another to have IT raise by a nanny. Or when Bloomberg said a police detective at the WTC wasn't a hero. let's me fair.

Look at Barron votes and how he works with many community activists (white and black), he is a good city council member. He votes on behalf of NYC resident. If more city council members stood against Quinn and Bloomberg then we would have the Atlantic yards, Hudson yards, term limit extension, etc.

Let's be fair- i can post many of Bloomberg insensitive remarks directed at women, disabled, geese, latinos, officers etc.

Hey, I'm no fan of Bloomberg either, though I do find the concept of goose slander interesting.

So it only offends you if the free speech offends you or your gender or race? Whenever I ask someone what they have against barron and the evidence - they produce that same quote. However they tend to overlook Bloomberg's racist and insensitive remarks. But if you look at Barron's action and compare it to Bloomberg action during these 8 years, Barron stood for the people while Bloomberg stood for his rich folks.

It (goose slander) was a joke. Seriously, lighten up, Felix. Listen, I loathe both of them, ok? Unfortunately, I am unable to vote here (legal resident, but not a citizen), though I sure am eligible to pay taxes for this nonsense.

I loathe Bloomberg and Quinn. Barron may not be my first choice but I prefer him over Quinn. thanks

First what things are you referring to? the term White man isn't derogatory. Ask anyone one who lobbied him or met him, he is polite to all and is open-minded. my council person Quinn won't met us and when we speak with her at events, she is very nasty. I bet you if you need a legislation to pass for your community, barron would sponsor it and not Quinn. Quinn is for the Rich developers and not for us, the people.

Barron is a race card pulling jerk. What he needs to do is shut his mouth and go teach his constituents about priorities. The same kids that say they have no money....take a look at what they are wearing and all the electronic devices they are carrying. Iphones, ipods, all the designer crap. Stop giving your money away to McDonalds and you might have some to take your ass to school. The parents should get that money and send their kids to school and stop looking for handouts. If they lived out in the burbs they would be paying out there asses for property taxes. Losers.

$1,000 for an education > a life time of poverty. Put in the investment

You know what I wouldn't mind putting in the extra change to my taxes if I knew the money was well spent but as of right now we're just throwing our money away. If we had a +90% high school graduation rate I would gladly subsidize the kids transportation needs but currently we're doing a dismal 60% and that's a rather inflated figure if you ask me from the Dept. of Ed. Even those that graduate aren't academically prepare for college.

Right now the school are just holding cells for most of these kids until Rikers find space. I think any subsidized transportation money should be like scholarships and be based on merit. If you're just getting C's and D's you're just taking space and wasting money, my money.

If you don't keep these punks in Rikers-Lite, then they will be banging, robbing, and raping on the streets.

I still think all students should pay a minimal amount even if its discounted by 60%. children of higher income parents shouldn't have a free pass. They should at least reform the program based on need.

income is already considered when you determine who gets free or reduced lunch, moron. they already have that information.

a needs-based system isn't a bad thought - but do you really want to bring credit checks and income verification systems into an agency already mired in bureaucracy?

it'll either grind to a halt or cost more to implement efficiently than it'll save.

Income and means checks mean nothing. Everyone on welfare has legal or illegal off the books jobs. They are not jobless, thats just what they want the whiteman to believe.

Not to mention that the guidelines are never accurate. A family might be doing well financially on paper, as per the federal poverty/income guidelines, but those guidelines never take into account the high costs of shelter/food/everything else in NYC.

Students in NYC should have access to free education the same way their peers outside of the city do, and that includes transportation.

"do you really want to bring credit checks and income verification systems into an agency already mired in bureaucracy?"

Wouldn't be necessary. The MTA currently doesn't distribute the Metrocards to students and doesn't make the determination as to which get free travel and which get half-fare. The schools do that. And DOE already administers a subsidized lunch program. Presumably much of the same structure and data could be used for a subsidized Metrocard program.

True perhaps it will cost more to have a need based program. Then they should have the student card discounted at 60-70% which hopefully will cover the State/city funding gap of the program. $30/a month student pass isn't outrageous, is it?

Filthy commies! Get a freakin' job so that you can pay the subway fare just like everyone else? And we need to find a way to deport that racist moron Barron.

Barron is a racist moron, but why suggest deportation of someone born here? I never hear let's deport that Italian-American who killed those people. Could it be because he's black and you are not so he's deportable?

Deportable Filthy Commies! I like that. What about that Black-Italian-American who killed those poeple... Deportable too!

Anyhow, if this Barron had used his free metrocard to get to school he might have learned that it's "ride anyone around" and not "ride nobody around." Perhaps he was intending to point out his lack of education, and thus proving his point of the need for nobody's to have free metrocards.

show me one high school kid who doesn't have a cellphone/iphone/blackberry/sidekick/ whatever and then we'll talk.

I'm so sick of this argument. YES, they might have cell phones. Ever think the phones came free with their parents' plans? Or that it might have been a birthday/Christmas gift? Or that when students often spend hours commuting two and from school, their parents might have wanted them to have a cell phone to guarantee their safety?

The cost of an iPhone is still less than the cost of a year of transportation to and from school.

You're not looking very hard if you can't find very poor NYC students without anything.

Here's a hint: Look in the homeless shelters.

exactly! and most of those contraptions have gps on em. they can find their way to school.

x2!

Barron is an asshole. Why don't they have a sliding scale based on household income. Some students parents can afford full fare while others would be eligible for free or discounted fares.

"I'm really clumsy, and without a student metrocard, i'd be a sitting duck".

shutting the subway down so they can't ride nobody around certainly punishes the right people.

Barron was then asked "dont you mean "they wont be able to ride "anybody" around"

"If you can bail out Wall Street for $800 billion, bail out our students," Charles Barron

Yes! Because its the MTA that bailed out Wall Street!

""If we have to, we'll shut the subway down — they won't be able to ride nobody around. If we can't ride, nobody's going to ride."

wtf is this? Can't this clown shut up???

The MTA bailed out Wall Street??? WTF?

Why doesn't the city fire up a fleet of school buses? That's how the rest of the country gets their kids to school, free school buses. In lieu of that, free metrocards. It just makes sense, but the city and state should pay for it.

Sorry, replied to the wrong comment.

Barron is a racist moron, but why suggest deportation of someone born here? I never hear let's deport that Italian-American who killed those people. Could it be because he's black and you are not so he's deportable?