Advocates support transportation solutions

My name is Cristal Salgado and I am here today because I support efforts to improve transportation between IPS and public charter schools.  

I am a single mom with two children. When my son started to fall behind academically in the third grade, I started looking for a new school for him. One of the hardest parts in finding the right fit for him has always been transportation.  

At one time, he was attending a great school that was really working for him. Unfortunately, because this schools was a public charter school that did not have buses or offer transportation, he couldn’t continue going.  

Traffic after work to pick him up could mean being in the car for over an hour sometimes. This alongside making sure my littlest child made it to school too meant also being worried about getting behind on starting my work day. As a single mom, this was very difficult. I truly tried for about a year to make it work, but it just wasn’t possible.  

I would really like to see more collaboration between IPS and our public charter schools, some kind of solutions that make it easier for families like mine who struggle with transportation. I think this could be the start of everyone working together in new and better ways in the name of making sure we focus on kids and their outcomes first.  

Thank you.  

Good morning, my name is Ada Lemus, and I am here as a mother advocating for my son, Cristian, and for other children in our community who face similar challenges. Cristian is 11 years old and will soon be entering 7th grade at Edison School of the Arts.  

While my son is very hard working and determined, he is behind in reading and not at the level he should be.  He was recently given an IEP and is getting the extra support he needs to catch up.  

But this progress is still new and fragile, and I’m worried that everything he’s gained could be lost. The school recently contacted families, including mine, to warn us that transportation could be taken away due to funding limitations. If that happens, I won’t have a way to get Cristian to Edison, and he’ll have to switch schools. For a child who’s already behind, changing schools at this critical point could undo all the progress he’s made. 

For ELL students like Cristian, consistency is key. Many of these students are already navigating difficult learning gaps, and when transportation is no longer an option, it forces families to make impossible decisions—often at the expense of their child’s education. Without reliable transportation, students risk losing access to the environments where they are finally thriving. 

Along those same lines, there are public charter schools here in Indy that are truly helping students thrive and I am aware that not all of those schools can provide transportation at all, which makes them inaccessible to families who don’t have a car or the means to pick up and drop off their children at school.  

I am here because I support efforts that would bring together the IPS district and public charter schools to improve transportation.  

Our kids deserve stability, and to attend the public school that is the best fit for them.  Transportation is a lifeline that makes that possible. 

Thank you. 

Hello. My name is Dontia Dyson and I am a public school parent. I live in the IPS district and my first-grader attends Matchbook school 63. My youngest son will join him at 63 for kindergarten next year.  

My first-grader loves his school and I am very involved in his education. I feel very lucky that the bus comes and gets my son. I currently don’t have a license due to an insurance issue and therefore I can’t drive. I am working on getting my license back now, but I know that if my son didn’t have a bus, I would have a hard time getting him to this school or any school that didn’t offer transportation.  

Having experienced so many barriers with transportation, I know firsthand just how important it is for our kids. I am here today because I hope to see the IPS district and public charter schools work together to expand the options of schools with transportation. I want to see the district and public charters both benefit and more than that, I want our kids to benefit. I want our kids to have great schools and safe ways to get there.   

I’ve experienced times without a car or the ability to drive. I don’t know what I would have done during these times if my son didn’t have the option of a bus. And yet, I know a lot of parents are in this exact situation or face all kinds of other obstacles with getting their children to and from the school that is the best fit for them.  

My second oldest child is moving back home from her mom’s house to live with me. She will arrive home over the summer. She will also be in the IPS district next year. I know I will have to pick a school for her with a bus option. I would love it if she could go anywhere, including a public charter if we decide that is what is best for her. I wish her options weren’t limited to only schools that can currently provide a bus. I would like to see public charter schools and IPS work together to come up with solutions that offer more and safe transportation for kids. I hope to see these options benefit everyone. Thank you.

Hello. My name is Bryana Perdomo and I am a student a charter school. I am in the 6^th grade. I attended a  a traditional school when I was in 4^th grade, but I ended up leaving that  school because it  was not the right fit for me and I wasn’t getting what I needed academically.  My mom found another school for us and enrolled us. She knew that transportation was not available, but made sure that she can take me to school or my dad if she was not available. I am lucky that they can drive me and siblings to school every day.  

Unfortunately, I know that not everyone is as lucky as I am when it comes to being able to get dropped off and picked up from school. I have a good friend who I met at school last year. Recently her mom told her that she will have to move schools soon. Her mom does not have a way to get her to and from school all the time. She ends up missing school because of transportation sometimes. This is hard because she is a good friend of mine and I wish I could help her. Her family does not speak English which is why I am here speaking for them.  

In conclusion, I ask you to please support efforts that will allow schools like mine to also have access to transportation and people like my friend and her family can continue going to their school of choice.