My first thought as I read the article about the installation of card-scanning equipment on school buses (Herald, Jan. 15) was: Do you think there could be any potential problems with this idea?
After all, what 6-year-old (or 15-year-old, for that matter) would have trouble keeping track of a bus card that must be used twice daily?
But the real issue is that our superintendent and school board found it necessary to spend $80,000 on these devices.
Our community just passed a bond issue granting Durango 9-R a fat check, with free license to improve education. While their argument is for safety, I don’t see how this improves the quality of education students are receiving.
Believe it or not, the bus drivers know who rides their buses daily. And while there have been some isolated cases of confusion with students getting off at the wrong stop or falling asleep on the bus, one must wonder if those few cases warrant spending $80,000 on a system that is unlikely to prevent these kinds of hiccups.
To Mr. Snowberger and the school board I would say: The community has entrusted you with money that was to be spent enhancing our childrens’ education. Please use it wisely.
Carrie Landis Allen
Durango
