PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Paullette Healy, Member of the Public
4:24:39
·
3 min
Paullette Healy testifies about concerns regarding school bus transportation services in NYC, particularly focusing on the potential use of VIA for routing and the impact on students with disabilities. She expresses support for certain legislation while emphasizing the need for employee protections and improved services for students with disabilities.
- Criticizes the potential use of VIA for bus routing, citing concerns about its effectiveness and procurement process
- Supports Resolution 250 for stop arms on school buses and climate control on all buses
- Advocates for Employee Protection Provisions (EPP) in bus contracts to address staffing shortages
- Highlights issues with the Omni card system, particularly its impact on students with disabilities
Paullette Healy
4:24:39
Hello.
4:24:40
Thank you chair for holding this very important hearing.
4:24:42
Yet again, we are here talking about busing.
4:24:46
It was very disturbing to hear from OPT that they're considering using VIA to offset their routing programming because when OPT does it by hand.
4:24:59
It is disruptive and unnecessarily complicated.
4:25:03
But now to put it into an app is a very scary notion considering how much VA has been has failed our families within their rollout.
4:25:14
Is inconsistent in implementation, and and let's come to the core.
4:25:19
Via is a system that came to fame because they were efficient in delivering packages for Amazon.
4:25:27
So to task that same company to develop and make, quote, unquote, more efficient routing possibilities for our students is is horrifying to me.
4:25:39
So I'm gonna push with all my mic to make sure that that doesn't happen.
4:25:43
Especially since, you know, we're still investigating whether Via was open to open bids during the process because I don't believe it was.
4:25:51
All that to say, I also wanted to acknowledge that I, you know, I do stand in support of Intrarzo 0 250 from council member Riley who has been an amazing advocate for our disability community as well as fighting for climate control on all buses, not just many buses.
4:26:12
And in terms of intro 0515, I do believe more oversight is necessary to connect parents to who the bus drivers are, who the bus companies are, but just to reiterate our founder at his Sarah Catalano, we are not trying to pit one faction of parents against another faction of people.
4:26:33
We know for a fact our bus drivers and bus majors are parents themselves.
4:26:37
And are struggling to put food on their table.
4:26:40
So when we are talking about opening up the contracts yet again, we cannot go forth in good conscience without making sure APP is in place in order to offset the turnover that we're already seeing that is mitigating the staffing shortages that prevents our children from going to school.
4:27:00
It's we we had sounded the alarm 15 years ago when when Bloomberg removed each from the contracts, and we knew that this would be the lived impact.
4:27:09
And we are seeing it play out in real time where our children are going an entire month without having the supports needed for them to be able to attend school.
4:27:19
In terms of the Omni, we knew the minute they rolled it rolled it out that our students with disabilities would not be eligible for it just because they're going to use a loophole to continue discriminating against our disability community by not allowing them access to p s a l to after school programs to after school activities like plays and musicals and debate teams and things of that nature, even even tutoring for those of our
Gale A. Brewer
4:27:43
Thank you.
4:27:43
Client expert.
Paullette Healy
4:27:46
Thank you.
4:27:46
I appreciate your time.
