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Agreed.

Note however the interplay — as noted by Mr. Morrison — between free MetroCards and:
a) a policy that encourages students to apply to distant schools that REQUIRE a MetroCard to attend; and
b) a policy of closing rather than fixing LOCAL schools that might NOT need a MetroCard to attend.

If the MetroCard cut holds, the CITY should pick up the tab.

AS IF… students’ use drives any incremental SERVICE by MTA. Sheesh.

Kitchen Sink–Unlike you, I know Khaais and know what a bright, articulate young man he is. He does not need Goldstein or anyone else to help him write a persausive argument.

Bravo Khaair. You’ve spoken not only for yourself, but for all students who depend on the use of their metrocard. I certainly hope the powers that be are listening. Keep up the good ‘work’. Your Q30 Bus Operator

Student Metro Cards are a godsend for most people who live in this city, especially students who come from low income families. In December the MTA decided to propose a budget cut that would eliminate student Metro Cards. According to the New York Times the poverty rate in2008 in New York City was at 18.2 percent which is approximately 1.5 million people. These families cannot afford to pay for one child to use public transportation both ways, to and from school. If they have more than one child this puts an extreme burden on their shoulders.
The proposed budget cuts do not only put a burden on people in poverty, they also hurt the middle class. An article in the Queens Courier written by Tonia N. Cimino points out that a mother of three who works full time, and has all of her children commute to school, would have to spend $267 a month, and if she only earns $400 a week, 17 percent of her annual income would be spent on her children’s transportation alone. There is no way a single mother of three would be able to send her children to schools outside of their school district without any public assistance.
If the MTA is successful in eliminating the student metro cards, students who come from low-income families may need to go to their local district school, which is usually an underperforming school in impoverished neighborhoods. This would result in children not reaching their maximum potential for learning.
Another issue with students going to their underperforming district schools is that they are slowly being shut down by the Department of Ed and being replaced by charter schools that can pick and choose who they want to attend their schools. This brings us back to students using public transportation to go to a school in another district which these families will not be able to afford resulting in a student possibly dropping out. The possibility of a rising dropout rate was a major concern from people who signed a petition through libertycontrol.net.
A person’s natural right in this world is the ability to receive the best education possible and canceling the student metro cards is ignoring the natural right of the middle and lower class. I understand that the city is in a time of crisis and needs to conserve all the money that they can, but preventing students from getting to school is only going to hurt the city in the long run. They are preventing a large amount of people who could be successful with the help of a proper education, from reaching their full potential. Not all families have a spare $1,150, which is about how much it would cost to send a single student to school using public transportation, and if the MTA doesn’t allow these children to get to school for free, the city’s economic struggles may only just be starting.