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Parents are trying to raise money for a bus to get local Ukrainian children to Philly school

“We’re trying to gather every penny, every dime,” said Roman Zhukov, the parent leading the effort.

An influx of Ukrainian mothers and children into Northeast Philadelphia has a group of parents scrambling to raise money to hire a daily school bus. The bus takes about 40 children, seen here, from Northeast Philadelphia.
An influx of Ukrainian mothers and children into Northeast Philadelphia has a group of parents scrambling to raise money to hire a daily school bus. The bus takes about 40 children, seen here, from Northeast Philadelphia.Read moreCourtesy Roman Zhukov

As more Ukrainian children tumble into Northeast Philadelphia — their families split, their fathers fighting the war overseas — a group of parents is raising money to rent a bus to transport 40 kids to Philadelphia Performing Arts: A String Theory Charter School.

It’s been tough.

Many of the Ukrainians who fled to this country have not yet received the work authorizations they were promised by the U.S. government, so they have no jobs or income. Nor do they have cars or licenses, so they can’t drive their children to school.

“We’re trying to gather every penny, every dime,” said Roman Zhukov, 37, the parent leading the effort to provide transportation to campuses in South Philadelphia and Center City. The school emphasizes both academics and the performing arts.

They started a GoFundMe campaign that seeks to raise $70,000, computed at 200 days of school multiplied by the $350 daily cost of bus rental. At the moment they have enough money to pay for the next couple of weeks of bus service.

It’s a dilemma fueled by a confluence of challenges, driven by the Russian invasion that has propelled millions of refugees out of Ukraine.

» READ MORE: For Philly Ukrainian Americans, military victories over Russia generate hope and elation

Philadelphia city officials said they expect about 10,000 Ukrainians to settle in the region by the end of the year. Local Ukrainian American leaders say that number already has been surpassed, with more people on the way.

About 90% of newcomers are women and children.

Northeast Philadelphia has become a landing spot, creating a sudden population of new-to-America, school-age children who speak little English. Finding a bus to transport 40 of them to school has proven challenging.

Philadelphia School District policy is to provide yellow-bus transportation for students in grades one to six who live at least 1.5 miles from school. That includes charter schools.

In this case, the Ukrainian parents went to String Theory about a bus, and school officials then approached the district. But the school had opted out of bus services years before, and the district could not immediately restore those services and provide a bus.

A shortage of bus drivers continues to challenge school districts across the country.

The Jenkintown-based Ukrainian Federation of America covered the costs of the bus for the first weeks — and is accepting donations now. Iryna Mazur, honorary consul of Ukraine in Philadelphia, has been trying to help identify funding sources.

More services will be needed for children as more arrive in the region.

President Joe Biden has offered welcome to up to 100,000 people through the “Uniting for Ukraine” program. About 20,000 arrived through the southern border before that practice was ended in late April, and other Ukrainians have come to the United States on travel visas that they held when the war broke out.

The Ukraine government has barred men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country.

» READ MORE: From August: The war in Ukraine has gone on for six months with no end in sight. Philly activists fear attention is flagging.

Zhukov, who was born in Russia and raised in Ukraine, and his wife, who is Ukrainian, have an 8-year-old son who attends the school.

He phoned dozens of companies before finding one that could rent a bus at a reasonable price, then organized a route with a central pick-up and drop-off point in Northeast Philadelphia.

The bus costs about $8 per day per child, round-trip. Parents are planning a pierogi sale to raise money to help the children.

“They got through the war zone,” Zhukov said. “Now the main question is the finances.”

Donations can be made on the GoFundMe page or by check to the Ukrainian Federation of America, 700 N. Cedar Road, Jenkintown, Pa., 19046. Checks must be marked for the school bus.