Baltimore students blame elected leaders for unreliable transit to school

The Baltimore high school students’ message was one they’ve delivered before: Public transit isn’t reliable enough to get them to school on time.

But at the rally outside City Hall on Wednesday morning, three dozen of them laid the blame more clearly than ever on their elected state leaders for failing to correct an inequality that they say is damaging their educations.

“When a bus doesn’t come, a student doesn’t just lose a ride. They lose time. That time comes from somewhere. It comes from sleep,” said Justice LeGrand, a Baltimore School for the Arts senior.

“It comes from studying, from family and from opportunities. Now, more than ever, we feel ignored.“

The line of smiling students, many in their school uniforms, chanted and held large signs above their heads that pointedly called out their daily frustrations.

“Tired of waiting. We need more buses now,” one sign said.

Baltimore City Public Schools is the only school district in the state where students do not have yellow bus service after fifth grade. They receive free passes to use the public transit system, but many go to schools far from their homes because of a universal choice system.

Gov. Wes Moore’s administration published a draft of its transportation capital budget earlier this month. Bikemore and the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance analyzed the draft and said it shows a $362 million cut in funds to Baltimore transit in next year’s state budget. Maryland Department of Transportation officials estimated that the cut would be $249 million at a Baltimore Regional Transit Commission meeting on Friday.

Students called on Moore to commit more money to Baltimore’s public transit system.

One sign read: “Gov, What happened to your transit equity legacy?”

But during the City Hall hearing on Wednesday, transit officials said the city would receive more money.

Even so, they acknowledge that there is no money for construction of a new east-west light rail line or to improve Baltimore’s bus system, on which city students rely to get to school.

Instead, a significant percent of the funding will go to projects near Washington, D.C.

A diverse group of students arrived at the rally on a yellow school bus from Baltimore Polytechnic, the Baltimore School for the Arts, Forest Park High School and Baltimore City College.

Many of them regularly ride the transit buses to school, a frustrating exercise that can begin as early as 5:30 in the morning.

“We stand out in the rain, the blistering heat, and the snow at neglected bus stops surrounded by trash and broken glass. The shelters that are supposed to protect us are either completely broken or don’t exist at all,” said Jeremiah Carter, a ninth grader from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute who said he begins his day at 5 a.m. because of unreliable buses.

Carter said he would like state officials to think about “every single life you have the power to change” when they make decisions about funding Baltimore transit.

Izma Sheikh, a freshman at Poly, said behind each one of the budget numbers is “a student waiting at a bus stop, a student missing a class ... a student wondering if they will make it home safely.”

City students have faced inadequate transportation for decades, she said.

“The question now is not when can we make the system better, but how many more generations will have to wait before we finally do,” she said.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.