Bus Update: We are aware that are we experiencing some bus delays, specifically in the afternoons with some of our middle school routes. We want to assure you that we are working hard to resolve these issues as soon as possible. We also, however, want to inform you what is causing some of the delays.
First, we are doing everything we can to hire more drivers. This bus driver shortage is real and painful for all of us. Currently we have 115 bus routes and only 95 bus drivers. Everyone in our Transportation Department, including managers and supervisors, who currently hold a Commercial Driver’s License is driving a bus route to help. We have increased bus driver salaries and are advertising as much as possible, but our district—like many throughout the state and country—is short drivers. Without more drivers we cannot add more bus routes to our schools to help the situation.
Second, each bus makes three runs in the morning and afternoon transporting students from high school, to elementary school, and then middle school. If a bus encounters a delay with the high school route, then it will impact the elementary route and then of course the middle school route. This “stacking” of delays has been higher than normal because of longer bus runs to accommodate for the shortage of drivers and long parent pick-up lines. We are working with our schools daily at each level to try to remedy these issues.
We will continue to keep our community updated. Please sign up to your school email listserv as most of our schools send out messages when there are late buses. Thank you to all of our bus drivers—we truly appreciate your service to our school district.
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