Dear Lab Families:
We are writing today to provide an update regarding plans for bus service at Charlotte Lab School for the 22-23 school year. I am sorry that we did not provide this additional context prior to the sharing of the transportation changes included in the re-registration materials. I regret that we were not able to share these potential changes sooner, but have been working to make budget adjustments quickly as new information has become available regarding needs and constraints for the new school year. The final budget was just approved by our Board of Directors this past Monday evening.
Context
Like most other public schools, Charlotte Lab School has faced significant challenges during the past few years. While additional funds were made available to address some of the immediate needs resulting from the pandemic, many new needs have arisen, creating critical financial obstacles. At this time, we do not anticipate any additional state or federal funding to help bridge the gaps we face. Lab, like other NC charter schools, receives no start-up funding, no facilities funding, and no transportation funding. Lab has worked hard to fundraise and has benefited from several launch grants, but most of those are now phasing out. We have also set ambitious fundraising goals for 22-23 in order to meet the basic needs of the school.
Since January, my team has worked hard to assess needs, review data, and determine priorities for the coming year. There are three areas that are driving our budget decisions for 22-23:
- Significant resources are needed for intervention, in terms of academics, mental health and behavior, family resources, and for Exceptional Children’s services. These needs have grown considerably over the course of the pandemic, a trend reported by many schools. These are services that we are ethically and legally obligated to provide and for which we are not adequately funded.
- Additional support is needed for instructional staff. The growing challenges in education mean that our teachers need more training and support. Educator burn-out is growing. We know that our teachers are our greatest asset for providing a quality learning experience for our students; we must do more to support their success.
- Rebuilding community culture - internally, with families, and with community partners. The time spent in remote learning has left us all feeling disconnected. We know that the strength of our school is fueled by our unique diversity and through collaboration and partnerships.
As we reviewed current data, weighed organizational priorities, and considered where we could reduce current expenses in order to cover new expenses, transportation became our focus. Since Lab’s founding, we have been committed to serving a population that is reflective of the Charlotte community and ensuring that a Lab education is accessible to any student/any family who wants to attend. We have fully funded transportation, daily meals, after school programming, field trips, etc. for any family with a demonstrated need. We made and honored these commitments without any specific funding for these items, while balancing these needs with instructional services.
Considerations
Based on changing needs and the priorities listed above, we were forced to make some difficult decisions. We carefully considered the following factors:
- The cost per bus is increasing to $55,000 next year;
- Current ridership registration accounts for only 20% of Lab students, and the majority of these students do not ride daily;
- Bus ridership is socioeconomically diverse; only 28% of bus riders applied for financial assistance;
- Families who have opted to participate in Eagle Bus transportation are asked to contribute towards the cost of the bus, based on income level. While Lab fully covers the cost for families in need, during the 2021-2022 school year, only 16% of families made any financial contribution towards the bus costs (which exceeded $200,000 this year);
- There has been a request from many families to add intercampus bus service, which would further limit the current routes;
- Although Lab received a small transportation grant this year (about $30,000), there is currently no indication from the state that funding will be available again for the coming year;
- The current bus services have remained problematic:
- The routes are very long, with some students spending almost 2 hours on the bus each way;
- The bus company is struggling to hire and retain qualified drivers;
- Even four buses limit the number of stops and available routes that are requested by all families.
Proposed Plan
The proposed transportation plan reflects Lab’s attempt to balance our priorities and budget constraints with the documented needs of our families. The new plan includes two bus routes for the 22-23 school year.
- Bus 1 - An intercampus option, which will allow a drop-off at any campus for families who have students on multiple campuses. This also would enable a family to drop any aged student at the campus most convenient for them to ride the intercampus route.
- Bus 2 - A bus with cluster stops. While these stops have not yet been finalized, they will likely be located at some of our current high ridership YMCA locations [McCrorey, Stratford-Richardson, Harris, and Johnston locations]. We will be using family survey data to drive the decisions regarding stops to ensure geographic and socioeconomic equity.
Next Steps
Families who are interested in bus service will be able to complete a transportation survey that will be linked in next week’s eNews and posted on the website. Based on the information we collect through the survey, we will be able to work with the bus company to:
- Identify the new cluster stops;
- Contact families who may have special circumstances;
- Explore creative options, which could include adding buses based on a pre-pay option, grouping light-rail passes and travel, and/or facilitating a carpool system;
- Gather and consider your creative ideas.
Our team will continue to explore additional transportation options and funding possibilities to reinstitute our current services. We will also continue to explore grant and fundraising opportunities to offset other school expenses. Finally, we will create a Transportation Task Force that will include families, staff, and Board members to identify and evaluate options. Please email [email protected] if you are interested in being part of this work.
We understand that these changes are generating much concern, however we want to assure families that Lab remains committed to working with our community to collaboratively solve the challenges we face. Beginning with the original vision of the school, through our charter application, and in many decisions we have made since, Lab has worked to ensure that transportation is not a barrier for attendance. In fact, we have worked with many families to develop creative and individualized solutions and will continue to do so this year. If this change in transportation will impact your decision to return for the 22-23 school year, we encourage you to reach out to your Head of School to discuss options.
Please feel free to email [email protected] with any questions, concerns, suggestions, or creative ideas. Families may email [email protected] with any ideas regarding fundraising opportunities. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we navigate this challenging time.
Sincerely,
Dr. Moss
