RICHMOND--Gov. Tim Kaine has signed a bill allowing public schools to provide bus transportation to private school students, despite vociferous opposition from public school officials.
"If local public schools and private schools are able to find solutions that benefit both, there's no reason for the state to stand in the way," Kaine said in a statement announcing his action on that and other bills.
The bill, which was sponsored by Del. Mark Cole, R-Spotsylvania, does not require public schools to share their buses with private schools--it just gives them permission to do so, and to charge fees, if they want.
But public education officials say the bill puts local school districts in a bind--they'll be under pressure from private schools to make their buses available, even though many school districts don't have enough buses or drivers as it is.
The Virginia School Board Association had been pushing Kaine to veto the bill, and more than 70 school districts across the state sent Kaine letters also asking for a veto.
"We didn't ask for it," said the School Board Association's executive director, Frank Barham, speaking during an interview last week. "Not a single school board was asked by their delegate or senator if they supported or opposed this bill. Not a single school board asked them to introduce it or vote for it, and those who voted for it were asked to vote against it."
Supporters of the bill point out that it allows school districts to provide services but doesn't require them to.
"I think the School Board Association is overreacting. The bill is strictly permissive and doesn't mandate them to do anything," said Cole. "I'm not surprised that they opposed it, but I am surprised by the level of their opposition."
Barham said public schools will be pressured to provide transportation services for private school students, whether they want to or not.
"They say it's permissive. Well, we don't want this permission," he said.
Barham added that even though the bill allows public schools to charge a fee for transporting private students, he thinks such a fee would have to be prohibitively large to cover costs such as gas, wear and tear on buses, driver salaries and insurance.
While similar legislation has been introduced for years, and often passes the House, it has never gotten past the Senate before. Cole doesn't understand opposition to the bill.
"To me it's just a common-sense bill, and I'm not really sure why in the past the Senate has given it such a hard time," Cole said. "In places where they choose to implement this, it could be a win-win for the public schools and the private schools."
Chelyen Davis: 804/782-9362