Late Thursday Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s office told me she was preparing to borrow $2 million to replace 40 of the 90 aged (some more than ten years old) state-owned buses serving Connecticut’s vocational-technical school students.
Rell’s announcement just happened to come as myself and reporters at the Hartford Courant were preparing separate stories for Friday on the vo-tech fleet’s abnormally high safety inspection failure rates in 2008 and 2009.
Today the Governor issued a formal press statement on the $2 million, but added another piece of news – the 40 new buses must be equipped with safety belts.
“With this updated fleet, we have a tremendous opportunity to, perhaps save a life and prevent another family from suffering the devastating loss of a loved one,” Rell said, referring to the Jan. 9 death of Vikas Parikh of Rocky Hill when the school bus he was riding tumbled down an embankment on I-84.
“This young man’s family strongly believes he would be with them today had he been wearing a seat belt, and I cannot disagree,” Rell said.
Here’s where things get confusing.
Rell’s decision regarding the vo-tech buses comes as the General Assembly, as a result of Parikh’s death, considers passing a law making belts mandatory on ALL school buses, not just those state owned vehicles serving the vo-tech system.
Rell even refers to this effort – which is not without controversy – in today’s press release. Critics argue the costs to school districts/private bus companies to retrofit vehicles – $200 million to $500 million – are prohibitive; the belts might not be practical; and the accident that claimed Parikh’s life is a rare occurance.
So is Rell’s demanding belts on vo-tech buses a signal she is throwing her support behind the mandatory belt legislation? And, regardless, isn’t she handing ammunition to the pro-belts-on-buses crowd? If you’re a parent of a non-vo-tech student don’t you hear today’s announcement from the Governor and think “why should my kid be any less safe riding to and from school than the vo-tech kids?!?!”
I know I’d be calling the Governor and my state legislator.
So I e-mailed Rell spokesman Donna Tommelleo and asked if Rell supports the seat belt legislation and if today’s announcement sets a precedent. Here’s the response Tommelleo sent back:
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“The Governor supports seat belts on these new buses. She has long believed that any new buses purchased for use in Connecticut come equipped with seat belts. As for setting a precedent, the state will issue the RFP (Request For Proposals) for vo-tech buses with seats belts and if, in fact, that is a precedent, it is certainly one worth setting.”
Vo-tech buses are in terrible shape, now. So getting new buses with seat belts seems sensible. But, to go back and require the retrofit of all school buses in Connecticut within the next year or two will not be cost effective, especially since the jury is still out on how effective they are. (On behalf of Conn Association of Boards of Education – CABE)