Posted on 04/06/24
Baltimore, MD - Apr. 6, 2024:
Dear Baltimore Community,
I write to share exciting news with you. Despite the State already facing a significant deficit this year, with many cuts being made across the board, I was able to secure half a million dollars in the State budget for the first time in Maryland history to go towards busing for private schools.
This funding is just a start for Maryland and is the first step in the creation of state-wide policy ensuring all students, including those in private schools, have access to free busing for school. There has been a significant amount of pushback over the years, and especially this session, toward dedicating State public funds for this purpose. I am grateful for the Speaker of the House of Delegates Adrienne Jones' support of this initiative.
Now that there is language in the Maryland State Budget to support a busing program, we can build on this policy in the coming years to increase funding and ensure this program is successful and helpful to our community.
While this is great news, I would be remiss if I didn't stress, once again, that this is just the beginning. We will not yet see unlimited free busing for all students in all schools. Rather, this coming school year will be a limited program in the beginning, which will provide busing via the Maryland Transit Administration to certain schools. The logistics are in the process of being determined, and I will be sure to update the community.
The busing program is being received in a similar vein to the BOOST program. In fact, some legislators are calling the policy "BOOST for transportation." Just like BOOST began as a small program fighting an uphill battle, once it was accepted into the budget, it grew significantly and now functions as a vital program that helps so many in our community. My hope is that the same will occur with the busing program: now that it is introduced in the budget, it will have the opportunity to grow and help more people.
Creating free busing for private schools in Maryland has been an unrealistic dream for many for a very long time. This is the beginning of this dream becoming a reality, and I look forward to it being a fully-funded program within the next few years.
I will continue to work to ensure this program is successful for everyone, and I want to thank OU Teach MD, Baltimore Jewish Council, Agudath Israel of Maryland, and Senator Hettleman for their advocacy for this effort.
Chag Kosher V'Sameach!
Delegate Dalya Attar