“Sometimes when you have a problem, you need to try to be creative and come up with a solution on your own.”
Esterlee Molyneux, Mom of two Sunrise Elementary students
What Happens on the Bus
Shiny yellow buses signal the beginning of the school day for kids all around the country, but if it weren’t for the quick thinking of some parents in Smithfield, Utah (population 9,535), their elementary school kids would’ve been left afoot. After the school district redrew boundary lines this year, the families found themselves just inside their school’s 1.5-mile “no busing zone.” Walking a mile and a half wasn’t an option for the young students, so instead of filling the streets with carpooling mini-vans and Suburbans, two of the dads bought a school bus of their own. Now, 82 kids ride the bus. Parents pony up $206 each year (comes out to 57 cents per trip), which covers the cost of the bus, insurance, maintenance, and a part-time driver. These kids are on the move, thanks to their forward-thinking folks.
Read the Article ® Without district bus, parents buy their own
And the Beat Goes on
Music is struggling to stay alive in schools operating under razor thin budgets—the news is filled with stories of music programs falling under the ax. But when the music and fine arts program was cut in Lakeville, Minnesota (population about 50,000), one mom saw it as her chance to live a dream, and help students do the same. Joy Afdahl opened a fine arts academy, staffed with many of the teachers who lost their jobs, and offers after-school classes in music, drama, and art. She knows the academy can’t replace the experience of in-school programs, but she’s doing what she can to keep the joy of music alive.
Read the Article ® New fine arts academy opens in Lakeville, looking to fill void left by school cuts
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