Exact Change, Kiddo: Broke State Could Soon Charge For School Bus Rides

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 Exact Change, Kiddo: Broke State Could Soon Charge For School Bus Rides As school districts statewide complain about the mounting costs of transporting their students, the Illinois State Board of Education could soon allow for schools to either charge fees for students riding buses or stop busing them altogether. NBC Chicago reports that the state board could introduce legislation as early as this week that would ease the financial burden on school districts struggling to pay to bus their students to school. According to the Associated Press, state funding for student transportation was slashed 42 percent in 2011 when compared to the previous year, and the state is currently planning to keep that funding level flat -- the latest casualty of the state's financial mess. New Website Shows Falling Approval Ratings For Mayor Emanuel PHOTOS: Ravinia 2012 Tickets Go On Sale Thursday WATCH: Cats Take Over 'Wait Wait' Lightning Round PHOTOS: 10 Spots Chicago Hipsters Love Julian King, Jennifer Hudson's Slain Nephew, The Focus Of Wednesday's Murder Trial BLOG POSTS Kerry Kennedy: In Chicago: Nobel Laureates and Students Defending Human Rights, One Step at a Time I spent yesterday morning in the library of Chicago's Lincoln Park High School, listening to students talk about what the word "hero" means to them. This wasn't any normal school day. Raymond J. Learsy: President Obama Speaks and the Oil Speculators React Natural gas, as traded today on U.S. exchanges, is a uniquely isolated American commodity and any attempt at influencing its price, overt or otherwise, would fall under the purview of the nation's anti-trust laws and its stated prohibitions to all manner of collusion. DeAngelo Bester: Missed Opportunities Making sure everyone pays their fair share is extremely important, but we need to make sure that the money generated is used for programs and services that invest in human needs, redress inequalities and expand opportunities for everyone. Mariska Hargitay: There Is No Excuse We hope you will join people across the country tomorrow who will be wearing jeans as a show of their confidence in the power of an enlightened, courageous community that stands together and declares: "There is no excuse for and never an invitation to rape." Elizabeth Parisian: A New Spring Trend for Shareholders: Corporate Accountability GE's federal tax dodging has a significant impact on Chicago's neighborhoods

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