The current bus strike hurts kids. Serious negotiations could have avoided this debacle. It is a tragedy to use kids as pawns in an adult battle which could have been settled at the negotiating table. Surely, the Mayor needs to balance the budget but not on the backs of defenseless kids.
All of the myriad cuts to education have cut kids out of daytime and after school programs in the past. And so this blatant disregard for student safety and health continues as bus transport of students with and without disabilities is not addressed fairly. And once again the education of children is again to disrupted. Yet City negotiators seem unscathed as they move toward the negotiation table at a snails pace. Hence, the impetus for them to negotiate contracts in a timely manner or negotiate in good faith is absent. There seems to be no penalty for the City’s negotiators.
There are numerous events planned in NYC each year. And before millions of visitors come to take part in these festivities, the plans are finalized by the City of New York. Negotiations which involve our public schools must be treated in the same way. They must be taken seriously. And that business must be handled professionally… more business-like. Certainly all the events which bring revenue into NYC are negotiated in a timely manner. Thus, Marathons, conventions, skyscrapers, and arenas are planned and executed in a timely manner. So one asks: When will the education of our children become a number one priority in NYC?
NEGOTIATE, NOW! And as indicated by Ruben Diaz, Bronx Borough President, “GET A DEAL DONE ALREADY because 150,00 kids need to get to school!”
