Letter from Goodman Community Center to MMSD Board of Education

UPDATE 6/1/2026

After considerable community engagement, Madison Metropolitan School District has confirmed that bus transportation WILL continue for students traveling from Emerson and Lowell to Goodman Community Center for the entire 2026–27 school year. We received a message from the district this afternoon, confirming the change. This is an outcome we are incredibly proud of, and one that would not have been possible without the support of many in this community.

The response from advocates, families, and community members was extraordinary. Testimony was delivered at the school board meeting, written comments were submitted, and messages were sent directly to the board of education from people across our community who understand how vital safe, reliable transportation is to the children and families GCC serves. Those voices were heard, and they made a meaningful difference.

We are also deeply grateful to Goodman's staff — our senior leadership team and our childcare team — who each played important parts in obtaining the best possible outcome for our students.

While we are encouraged by this result, we recognize that the long-term transportation picture remains an ongoing conversation. We will be meeting with the district to discuss plans for future years, and we are committed to keeping our supporters informed as those discussions develop. The strength of this community gives us confidence that, should advocacy be needed again, we will be ready.

Goodman has had a decades-long and deeply productive relationship with MMSD. Our partnership starts when children are in 4K and continues up through high school. Goodman staff are in MMSD classrooms providing support almost every school day. We are all deeply committed to the students we serve. I am confident that — with time and discussion — we can come to an agreement that serves both organizations while prioritizing the safety of the children in our care.

To all of our community and supporters, thank you for your continued commitment to Goodman Community Center and to the well-being of the children and families we are privileged to serve. Your support — in every form it takes — matters deeply.

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5/18/2026

For 15 years, elementary students and families have relied on after-school bus transportation to Goodman Community Center to access licensed, accredited after-school programming. A new interpretation of Policy 5111 would eliminate that transportation by applying a 1.5-mile residential transportation standard to a fundamentally different situation: transportation from school to a supervised, group-based after-school program. While the change may provide the district with short-term savings, it does so at significant cost to the affected students, their families, and the broader east side community.

Proximity does not mean safe access. Students traveling to Goodman must cross high-traffic corridors including Atwood Avenue, Fair Oaks Avenue, and East Washington Avenue.

Lowell and Emerson elementary schools are partners in Goodman’s 21st Century Community Learning Center grant, providing accessible, high-quality after-school care and tutoring for K-5th grade students. While transportation is not a required service, it has been the support that makes participation possible for many families. Without it, access becomes uneven and dependent on a family’s ability to navigate significant transportation and safety barriers.

We’re asking the Board to maintain this established transportation so elementary students can continue to participate safely in licensed & accredited after-school care.

GCC President Christ Talton sent a letter to the board on May 6, 2026 outlining the issue and possible opportunities to collaborate to fix it. Additionally, Chris and GCC VP of Philanthropy & Community Development spoke during the May 18 Board of Education meeting. Other members of the community also spoke about the issue.

To read the full letter GCC sent to the MMSD board, click here or read below.

Dear Members of the Board of Education,

My name is Chris Talton, and I recently stepped into the role of President at Goodman Community Center. I am reaching out regarding the new interpretation of Transportation Policy 5111 that may eliminate after-school transportation from Lowell and Emerson elementary schools to Goodman Community Center beginning next academic year.

This interpretation would eliminate a 15-year practice that has ensured thousands of Lowell and Emerson families access to high-quality after-school care. While the change may provide the district with short-term savings, it does so at significant cost to the affected students, their families, and the broader east side community.

I understand Goodman staff have discussed this issue with MMSD staff at multiple levels, and that a resolution will ultimately require Board-level leadership and direction. I am contacting you directly to ask for meaningful dialogue, collaboration, and creative problem-solving. Because of the significant impact this change would have on students and families, we believe it is important to pursue direct dialogue and problem-solving before families and community members feel compelled to advocate more broadly for resolution.

An Established Transportation Partnership

This proposed change threatens to disrupt a partnership that has been critical to thousands of MMSD families over the years. Aside from a pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, elementary school students have relied on MMSD bus transportation to Goodman Community Center for 15 years. MMSD transportation has enabled Lowell and Emerson families to access licensed and accredited after-school programming. Goodman is not requesting a new transportation model. We are looking for ways to maintain an existing partnership that has been functioning successfully for years and currently supports approximately 90 students each semester.

Lowell and Emerson are partner schools in a 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant. Goodman has invested heavily in coordinated after-school programming aligned with school-day learning, including individualized literacy support and academic intervention. Transportation is the infrastructure that makes this partnership accessible.

Why This Situation is Different

We are proposing the continuation of a targeted access solution for elementary students traveling from school to supervised, group-based after-school care — not a broad challenge to MMSD’s transportation system or residential transportation standards.

Policy 5111 was designed to govern transportation between school and a student’s residence. Goodman Community Center is not a residential destination, and no child resides at our center. Applying a residential mileage threshold to transportation between school and licensed afterschool programming creates a gap that the current policy was not designed to address.

This is not a request for special treatment for Goodman. We are proposing a specific, limited solution to preserve safe access for a significant number of elementary students who rely on established after-school programming that has operated successfully in partnership with MMSD schools for 15 years.

Safety and Student Access

Proximity does not equal safe access. Elementary-age students walking from Lowell and Emerson to Goodman would need to navigate major traffic corridors including Atwood Avenue, Fair Oaks Avenue, and East Washington Avenue. These are busy, high-traffic routes that are difficult for young students to cross independently during peak hours after school.

The safety concerns associated with these routes are not hypothetical. Goodman middle school youth have been struck by vehicles while attempting to cross Atwood Avenue to get to programming. In response, students themselves successfully advocated for additional pedestrian safety infrastructure at Atwood Avenue and Waubesa Street. Even with those improvements, crossing these busy streets remains challenging for walkers of all ages.

Shortly before I began my role at Goodman, our organization hosted a memorial service for an MMSD high school student who was killed while crossing the street on the way to school. That experience reinforced for me how deeply transportation and pedestrian safety concerns affect students, families, and the broader community. These issues are real, immediate, and impossible to separate from conversations about student access.

Transportation is also an important equity and access concern. While not a required service, free and safe transportation is the support that makes participation possible for many Goodman families. Without it, access becomes uneven and dependent on a family’s ability to navigate significant transportation and safety barriers.

Without safe after-school transportation, families face impossible choices. Working caregivers and caregivers with disabilities may not be able to provide their own transportation. Without bus service, some families may be forced to go without supervised after-school care entirely. Others may need to pay significantly more for after-school care that includes transportation. Equity, community, and integrity are part of our core Goodman values, and we cannot support a change that would disproportionately harm families we serve.

A Shared Problem-Solving Opportunity

I recognize that school transportation systems are under strain, and I am approaching this conversation in good faith. If cost or staffing capacity is the limiting factor, we are open to discussing collaborative solutions. For example:

• Exploring cost-sharing arrangements
• Helping recruit community volunteers or staff interested in CDL certification
• Working together to identify operational solutions that preserve safe student access

We are not approaching this as an all-or-nothing conversation. I am respectfully requesting that the Board work with us to identify a practical path forward before transportation access is removed for families who rely upon it.

Why Continued Partnership is Essential

We have explored alternatives independently and continue to do so. However, the practical reality is that there are extremely limited transportation options available during peak after-school hours. Even if Goodman had the financial resources to independently contract for school bus transportation, the providers with the infrastructure and capacity to transport students safely are already committed to existing school transportation routes during that time of day. MMSD remains the partner best positioned to provide safe, reliable transportation access for students participating in established after-school programming.

Providing Emerson and Lowell students with safe access to high-quality after-school care supports both Goodman’s mission and MMSD’s strategic priorities. Goodman’s individualized academic supports directly advance the district’s goal of ensuring students are prepared for college, career and community, while also supporting MMSD’s commitment to improving outcomes for African American and BIPOC-identifying students. Goodman’s youth programs consistently serve a high percentage of BIPOC students compared to overall school demographics. Maintaining this partnership supports MMSD’s priorities and helps ensure students can access critical supports safely and consistently.

Request for Dialogue

I would welcome the opportunity to meet with Board leadership or participate in further discussion before the May 18th meeting. We believe this is a solvable issue, and we hope to approach it as partners committed to student safety, access, and well-being.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Chris Talton