School administrator tells parents their kids should walk to school

A controversy is brewing in the tiny village of West New York (he said, with tongue firmly planted in cheek); where the school Superintendent is telling a group of parents that their kids will have to walk to their new school while the one they normally attend is being renovated.

The school in question is the Harry L. Bain School on Broadway near 62nd Street - which, while being renovated, is forcing the kids to have to walk an extra 6 blocks to their temporary school - St. Joseph’s of the Palisades at 54th Street and Broadway.

Perish the thought. Some parents say it’s too much for the kids to have to walk.

According to the Star Ledger, the Superintendent, John Fauta, is against a proposal that would provide 2 school busses to take the children the extra 6 blocks – saying that were children provided busses for distances less than 2 miles – then all children in the district would have to be provided busses.

This in what is one of the 31 Abbott districts, which receive a higher amount of state funding that your average school district.

So Fauta is looking out for the taxpayers by saying that to provide buses for these students would cost more and probably result in programs having to be cut.

Finally, a school superintendent doing the responsible thing. Not spending more taxpayer dollars when kids can actually walk to school.

Is 6 more blocks too much to ask for them to walk? Or is the superintendent being unduly cruel in not providing busses for them to travel to school.

How far did you have to walk to school?