The average cost to maintain a school bus for one year is approximately $692 per student, according to saferoutespartnership.org.

   However, this upcoming year, for some students they will now have to be driven by their parents to a different school to be transported to the magnet program at another school.

On June 10th, 2013, the school board voted on measures that will result in fees for students to participate in extracurriculars, consolidated bus routes, and the cutting of several positions within the school network. These decisions were made to reconcile a $20 million gap schools requested for funding.

    “If Harford County schools wanted to have magnet programs they should have already factored in the extra costs,” stated Becca Simon, a senior who is a part of North Harford’s magnet program.

The most protested of these measures, according to the Aegis, is that the county’s magnet programs will lose direct transport. These programs include the Science and Mathematics Academy, the Global Studies Program/International Baccalaureate Program, and North Harford’s very own Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences Program (or, the Ag Program).

  The magnet program at North Harford focuses on teaching students about three different agricultural fields, large animals, small animals and natural resources.

  “North Harford’s magnet program has tons of benefits,” stated incoming senior Katie Soltysiak, who is a student in North Harford’s Ag Program. “It gives the opportunity for me to meet people in my field of interest, which helps for college recommendations and for future jobs.”

Already several hearings have been held where parents have spoken out against these measures and about how not providing safe transportation goes against the policies of these magnet programs.

  “I don‘t like it (the bus change) simply because I know a lot of people are dropping out of the Ag program because parents can‘t drive them to their ‘home’ school,” stated Soltysiak. “So a lot of good students are losing a chance at education.”

    The new bus plan would mean parents dropping off their kids at the high school they would have attended if not for the magnet program in the morning. And then in the afternoon, the kids would be dropped off back at these schools where parents would have to pick them up.

     “If a kids parents work until five, that means they  will be sitting at their home school for the next two hours. If safety is their first priority, then they should reconsider the change.,” stated Simon.

   Harford County Executive David Craig release a letter to school officials, in which he offers to work with the officials and claims the school system has $25 million in reserve with $13 million undesignated, according to the Aegis.