Poughkeepsie Students Can Take Buses To Class For Free

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — The Poughkeepsie City School District and Dutchess County reached an agreement that will once again allow middle and high school students to use the Dutchess County Public Transit buses at no charge for the 2019-20 school year. School Superintendent Dr. Eric Rosser and County Executive Marc Molinaro made the announcement Wednesday.

The successful partnership between the county and the school district, enabling students to ride DCPT buses, began last year for the 2018-19 school year to encourage timely arrival and attendance for students. Routes M and P, which serve the high school and middle school, were modified to align with each school’s bell schedule. Additionally, extra buses operate on the routes in the morning and afternoon to ensure students are transported in a timely manner, officials said.

Students can also utilize DCPT buses to get to after-school activities including clubs and sports events or employment at no cost for any ride that originates in the City of Poughkeepsie. According to the National Education Association, there is tremendous benefit to students taking part in extracurricular activities including improved school attendance, academic success, aspirations for continuing education past high school and a sense of community, per a spokesperson.

Rosser said the district was pleased to have bus transportation available for the upper-level grades.

"This is a tremendous benefit to our district's families and we encourage students to take advantage of the service, both for school and for extracurricular activities," he said.

The 2019-2020 school year agreement will not exceed $54,000 as per the resolution unanimously adopted by the Poughkeepsie school board last week. There was no cost increase from the prior year for the school district.

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