Experts Say Solving Baltimore Students’ Transit Issues Requires More Data, Funding

Local transportation and education experts say Baltimore City’s student transit issues can be solved by prioritizing student data and putting money where the needs are.

On Monday night, a crowd of over 100 students and community members gathered at a town hall in R. House held by The Baltimore Banner as a follow-up to their months-long investigation published in February.

The Banner’s reporting found that one in four of public buses — relied on by over 25,000 city students to get to and from school — arrive late or not at all in the morning, causing poor attendance and lower first-period grades.

Monday’s panel of experts focused on solutions to the multifaceted problem. But leaders from the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and the city school system declined invitations to participate.

Roger Schulman leads the Fund for Educational Excellence, a nonprofit aiming to reduce city school inequities. He said the first step is collecting student data, which the Maryland Transit Administration does not do.

Click here to listen to the segment.

Source: WYPR