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Mayor Duggan’s bus loop between public, charter schools based on “successful model” in Denver

school bus
Shinichi Sugiyama
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Tonya Allen said this service is set to begin in part of the city at the start of the new school year.

Getting kids to school in Detroit can be a real hassle. Some parents drive their kids nearly 30 minutes to get them to their school of choice, whether that’s a public school or a charter school.

In his State of the City address this week, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan outlined a plan: Pick an area, then offer bus service from school to school, public or private, and to a center for daycare.

Take a listen:

The idea is to keep buses running in a loop from school to school, and allow students to catch the bus at the nearest stop to his or her house, and then be delivered to the school they actually attend.

Duggan says the city, the Detroit Public Schools Community District, and charter schools, as well as philanthropic organizations, will have to work on a pilot program to see if it works.

Tonya Allen is president and CEO of the Skillman Foundation, which is on board for this project.

Allen joined Stateside today to explain what it was about this project that made sense to her, why she believes a community center is critical to this plan, and how this project could eventually become self-sustaining. 

Listen above.

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