Illinois BOE Mulls Pay-To-Ride School Bus System

MSNBC (4/25, Omer) reports that under a plan being considered by the Illinois Board of Education, students in the state, "like others in cash-strapped school districts nationwide, may have to pay for their bus trip to school." The plan would offer "districts in the state the options of eliminating buses altogether or having parents pay the transportation cost. ... Nationwide, school districts struggling with massive budget shortfalls have started charging families for what had been a free service, with even more districts, including Palm Beach County in Florida, considering the idea of a pay-to-ride bus system. Attempts by msnbc.com to contact a spokesperson with the Illinois State Board of Education or US Department of Education was unsuccessful on Tuesday."