Imagine having to walk almost two miles, basically from Manley Fieldhouse to the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, to get to and from class every day.

This is the grim reality of walking to and from school for many of the 1,009 Syracuse high school students who live between 1.5 and 2 miles from school, according to the Syracuse City School District. The dark, cold and burdensome trek only encourages many kids to skip school altogether and inhibits the learning of those who do attend school each day by oftentimes making them late for class.

For the educational and economic health of Syracuse, local politicians should make a transportation plan with Centro bus services feasible for area high school students by pushing for state funding. Transporting all students who live more than one mile from school would be a sure-fire way to increase overall attendance and create more motivated learners. The city’s dismal graduation rates would likely see a sharp increase, which would also raise the city’s human capital levels.

“I directly notice that there’s an impact come winter months on kids coming to school,” said Bill Scott, fourth vice president of the Syracuse Teachers Association and school social worker. “That impacts attendance — walking two miles in 32 degree weather every day.”

To lessen this impact, students should be able to rely on free transportation. The move would come at a much-needed time, considering that while Syracuse area high schools’ graduation rates are improving, they’re still bleak — below 60 percent.

But to provide transportation resources for students means they’ll be more inclined to attend class and learn, likely leading to increased graduation rates. This would naturally lead to more students pursuing college degrees, which would further boost the Syracuse economy due to the economic activity that springs from increased human capital.

According to the Federal Reserve of New York, cities with higher human capital levels are more innovative, have higher amounts of economic activity and enjoy faster economic growth. Workers in these regions also tend to be more productive and earn higher wages. It’s also worth noting that high school graduates earn $10,386 more annually than high school dropouts do.

As it is now, only students who live 2 miles or farther from school are eligible for free transportation. This leaves many students who live between 1.5 and 2 miles from school — 1,009 of them — forced to make the walk.

School districts in Rochester and Buffalo have committed to a 1.5-mile distance, meaning students who live 1.5 miles or more away from school are eligible for transportation. But in Syracuse, there are concerns over how to finance bus passes for students and how the Centro buses would accommodate a sharp increase in passengers.

Because Centro is currently facing financial problems of its own, local politicians should prove to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration the importance of providing free transportation to students who walk in dark and dangerous areas and cite the benefits of investing in the educational and economic future of Syracuse.

As a branch of his upstate New York stimulus plans, Cuomo should then finance the free transportation, which means funding the 25 additional buses community members have called for. This would fall in line with Cuomo’s stimulus goals, part of which involves bettering the Syracuse public school system, and his $1.5 billion initiative to revitalize the community economies of upstate New York.

Twice before has the school board voted in favor of bus passes for students, but both times Centro was unable to finance the additional buses needed for what would be increased passengers.

So, it’s time local politicians make a push to the state for funding. The movement to create a feasible and effective bus plan for local high school students will create a safer, improved Syracuse for years to come.

Matthew Gutierrez is a freshman journalism and entrepreneurial management dual major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached atmguti100@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @MatthewGut21.

Published on November 29, 2015 at 10:59 pm