LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Families holding out for some transportation to be restored for Jefferson County Public Schools' students, will have to continue waiting.
Route Restoration
JCPS is considering restoring routes for: Male, Manual and Butler High School students on free or reduced lunch; all students at Johnson Traditional Middle School; all students at Coleridge Taylor and Young Elementary Schools.
Route restoration is dependent on the number of TARC drivers that become certified to drive a school bus. The public transit drivers are expected to transition over to JCPS, a deal worked out between the school district and city's public transit system, as TARC deals with a financial crisis. The drivers otherwise risked being laid off.
At Tuesday night's board meeting, JCPS said it needs at least 60 drivers to restore routes for the schools it is considering.
These drivers must receive an 'S' or school bus certification.
As of Tuesday, JCPS said 19 TARC drivers have the appropriate certification. 39 additional drivers are expected to complete certifications by Sept. 6. Another 12 drivers are in the early process of being certified.
"We can give the written portion of the test, but the driver portion of the test is done by the Kentucky State Police department so we have very little control over that," said Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio.
Pollio said he hopes to bring a formal recommendation for the board to vote on at its meeting on Sept. 3.
Once a plan is approved, Pollio said a few things need to happen before eligible students can get back on the bus.
The district will survey eligible families if they want transportation back to their school. It will also survey students that transferred out of school if they would like to return to that school. The district estimates that around 380 students.
Then the routing team will take the survey results and create routes, then allow drivers to bid and practice practice the routes.
JCPS anticipates services to be restored the first day back from Fall break.
Stipends
As for stipends, JCPS said its online signup is on-track to begin Aug. 26 and will send out step-by-step instructions on how to sign up. Payments will begin to roll out Sept. 9. Payments for August will be completed later in September.
The district will offer stipends to families that lost transportation this year, and choose to transport their own kids to school.
Families will be eligible for $5 a day, or $10 if that student qualifies for free/reduced lunch.
The stipend is based off attendance and will be tied to Infinite Campus.
JCPS said only one adult per student will be eligible to receive the stipend. If a student has two people transporting them, it must be worked out amongst the adults how to split the stipend.
If an adult is transferring two students to two different schools, they will be eligible to receive a stipend per child. If two students attend the same school, they will only receive one stipend payment.
For example, a parent eligible to receive $5 a day, could receive $10 if it is transporting two students to separate schools. If the same parent transports two students to the same school, they will be eligible for $5 a day.
If transportation is restored, families will be asked if they prefer to ride to school on a bus or the stipend. Families will not be able to receive both transportation and the stipend.
JCPS reminded families that stipends qualify as taxable income. The district said that it is legally required to do so.
Car Rider Lines
JCPS Chief Operations Officer Rob Fulk said while car rider lines have improved at some schools, others will need long-term solutions.
It's considering capital improvement projects at certain schools, which Fulk said will take time.
He mentioned Audubon Traditional Elementary and Farnsley Middle School as two schools still struggling with transportation.
The district said it has not made any decisions, because it is still early in the school year and wants to see some issues work itself out.
JCPS said its utilized its district police officers to help with some traffic control at schools and seen improvement.
Pollio said previous rulings from the Attorney General's office prohibits schools districts from hiring its own traffic guards, saying the funding is outside of the district's purview.
Therefore, the district relies on LMPD to provide traffic guards. The police department has struggled with a shortage of traffic guards.
JCPS said it is also in communication with other local police agencies to help with traffic control at area schools.
Previous Coverage:
- Last JCPS student dropped off by 7 p.m. on first day of school
- Louisville parent has mixed report card on 1st day of JCPS' new busing plan
- JCPS puts new bus plan to the test as thousands of students return to school
- Bus schedules, security and start times: What to know for JCPS' first day of school
- JCPS parents, students and staff prepare day before classes begin
- Civil rights lawsuit against JCPS busing plan paused for 60 days, as students head back to school
- JCPS parents will see 'night and day' difference in busing plan when school begins, driver says
- Doctors seeing more COVID-19 cases in Kentuckiana as school year begins
- JCPS ready for school start Thursday, but expected ruling from judge could complicate bus plan
- JCPS testifies school year could be delayed until November if TRO granted in civil rights lawsuit
- JCPS 'learned a lot' from last year as it works to avoid repeat of first day transportation mess
- JCPS to consider restoring routes for some schools after first day of school
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