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PrintAlex Lundy's May 29 article, "GetAbout spending not just for trails," included the following statement about the PedNet Coalition's Walking School Bus and WalkSafe, BikeSafe programs, which impacted more than 3,000 Columbia schoolchildren in 2008 as part of PedNet's subcontract with GetAbout Columbia:
"Despite the strong participation in the two programs aimed at school children, both will have less GetAbout funding next school year."
This is not accurate: in fact, both programs will have ZERO GetAbout funding next school year.
It is important that Columbia residents understand this because the PedNet Coalition is currently running a community fundraising campaign to support the 2009-10 Walking School Bus program, which presently has no funding.
The program, in which about 450 children at 11 schools are supervised by trained adults on their daily walk to school, costs about $75,000 per year to administer.
The WalkSafe/BikeSafe program, in which PedNet educators teach pedestrian and basic bicycle safety education to K-3 children during two P.E. classes, will unfortunately, be discontinued.
Ian Thomas is the executive director of PedNet Coalition.
Comments
The program, in which about 450 children at 11 schools are supervised by trained adults on their daily walk to school, costs about $75,000 per year to administer.
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Can you give me a break down of this figure ?
Seems to me it's cheaper to bus 'em.
This Pednet is getting awfully expensive to save some money.
If it's such a wonderful program, get parents and retired folk to volunteer.
$75,000 from a $22 million dollar grant should have been enough "seed" money to set up such a voluntary run "service."
$166.66 per child to do this annually ?? Hardly a bargain ... another boondoggle.