When it comes to the succinct titles that legislators and presidents envision for their favorite legislation, they usually promote the intent of the law well. However, whatever the intent, what is important is the content of the bill.

When we thought about the recent news about transportation in the Ozark area, we strangely thought of President George W. Bush’s "Leave a Child Behind" bill, which honestly has nothing to do with public transportation. We have never encountered the problem of not letting any child fall behind, but this nickname (and the test that comes with it) always feels like a safety net to prevent students from falling behind while ignoring another ideal goal—ensure Each student can reach his or her full potential. This potential takes different forms. Success can mean many different things, because students are unique and capable in different ways.

Perhaps this is why the current education law passed in 2015 is called the "Every Student Success Act". Success means different things to different students, but our national goal should be to make every student as successful as possible.

Ozark Regional Transit is a bus system serving Washington, Benton, Madison and Carroll counties. Over the years, its leadership has emphasized that public transportation is an important part of the future of this evolving region, and we believe in them. Northwest Arkansas needs a strong public transportation system.

Recently, the leaders of the transportation system have raised the question of whether the board of directors that manages it is somehow an obstacle or a help. Why? The eight-person board of directors is composed of representatives from Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and the four county governments, each of whom has equal voting rights to affect the operation of the system.

However, as far as education policy is concerned, just like those school children, not every member city or county of the ORT committee is on an equal footing. In terms of financial contributions to the annual operation of the transportation system, Fayetteville contributed US$514,348. The second highest contributor was Rogers at $443,288, followed by Springdale at $369,440, and Bentonville at $140,463.

Looking at the counties, the gap is even greater: Washington County is $22,970, Benton is $17,500, and Carol is $1,500. Madison County does not provide any funding.

However, representatives of all these governments can vote on the future of the system.

Some people may say that this is not fair, but life is not fair. On the contrary, we believe that this is not good for the Ozark regional bus, which has very different needs in serving densely populated areas and sparsely populated rural areas.

Public transportation is largely an urban problem, although the availability of rural transportation is also important. As they said, it is just a completely different animal. Therefore, officials in the Ozark region are considering governance changes that link voting representation to the financial contribution of each entity.

Giving those cities that have invested the most in the system a stronger voice is an improved way to ensure that the ORT board responds to regional needs in response to the readiness of local governments to invest in the system.

Those who have not or will not invest in the system should not be able to make decisions, some of which may become obstacles to the best future of public transportation in the evolving northwestern Arkansas.

Transferring the voting rights of members of the Ozark Regional Transportation Committee will better position the future public transport system.

Print headline: Facing the future

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