Telfair residents have to pay $450/yr to use school bus (new house, neighborhood)

[nilaavu]

Starting this school year residents of Telfair have to pay $450 per kid if they would like to use school bus for Transportation . This is to apply the rule - If you are living less than 2 miles which is (90% of Telfair) you are not allowed to use the bus even though the bus is available to provide service to 10% of the resdents which are a handful. I believe FBISD is trying to squeeze money out of residents inspite of the higher property tax.
This is an expense I never anticipated and I have 2 kids going to Cornerstone Elementary .

[Texascrude]

Sounds like you'll need to get a carpool going.

[EasilyAmused]

Most bigger ISD's don't provide buses within 2 miles. You can walk or ride your bike EASILY at that distance. House price has nothing to do with the issue. The amount of kids to get to all primary,middle and senior schools in a limited period of time is.

[crbcrbrgv]

Welcome to FBISD, one of the most poorly run districts in the area. With that said, EA is also correct.

[descovy]

Cy Fair ISD won't even bus you (for any fee) if you live in a 2 mi radius of the school. So at least you have a choice of school bus.

Seriously, FBISD isn't "out to get you." Rather, they are suffering major budget cuts. It's a sad state for many school districts and FBISD isn't immune. It pays no matter to what master planned community you chose to move to. And they don't owe you any special favors just because your neighborhood is named "Telfair."

You pay higher taxes in MUD, but your tax rate to FBISD is the same as the guy with the $100k, 30 yr old house too. You don't pay *more* to FBISD, rather, you pay more to your brand new MUD...

If anything, you can blame the developer for using the school district to sell houses, but wanting the school district to pay mucho $$$ to put a school nearby. They'll fill the existing schools with new kids whose folks just bought the new houses but will do nothing to help... Often when you move to a new neighborhood it takes several years for school building/zoning to catch up.

If it isn't bus service, it will be *more* teachers (FBISD already gave many the pink slip) or it will be music class, etc., etc.,

[chris_ut]

Can the kids not walk or ride their bike if it's less than 2 miles?

[glorplaxy]

Seriously...it's less than 2 miles. It's not like they'll die from actually having to use their legs and feet...or maybe they will because they're from the suburbs and they're not used to it.

[EasilyAmused]

Wait until they find out PE,ART or Music, and Spanish are on a 7 day rotation v. everyday. Punishment for the class is not to have recess...and combined with the lack of PE, makes the kids crank up worse.

Everyone's on Red!

[AK123]

I think that two-mile rule is actually pretty standard, unless your neighborhood is across a busy highway or similar obstacle from the school in which walking or riding a bike would be too dangerous. Sorry...

[just4ivaylo]

The two-mile rule is standard, even in the old school district in which the schools I attended were located. Keep in mind the district was rich and has all of its high schools in the top 100 nationwide. So really, this is nothing unusual.