JCPS details bus problems, solutions in new report being discussed at next board meeting

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Almost halfway through the school year, Jefferson County Public Schools continue to struggle with late buses and a shortage of bus drivers.

The district will address the problems in a new report during a Board of Education meeting next Tuesday, Dec. 5.

Amid the ongoing driver shortage, the district is down nearly half of the 1,080 bus drivers it had in 2015. Right now, there are just 574, which doesn't account for those who call out.

JCPS said an average of 51 drivers call out sick each day, most frequently on Mondays and Fridays.

Late buses are also still contributing to the district's transportation issues. According to a new report, the district said the last students are getting home consistently at 7 p.m. That's half an hour past JCPS' goal of 6:30 p.m.

The report, however, does not address how late some buses are getting to school in the morning, which some parents told WDRB News is a big problem.

Since October, JCPS said it has tried to address bus drivers' concerns about student behavior. The district launched a new referral system two weeks ago, aimed at providing drivers with more support.

"We really do want them to feel, 'Hey, we're taking some resources, we're shifting them, because we understand the need and the desire to want to better support them,' so that's what we're doing," Dr. Matt Anderson, assistant superintendent for Climate and Culture, said earlier this month.

JCPS is already looking ahead to next school year. That includes looking at a recommendation to eliminate bus transportation to all magnet and traditional schools in the district to cut down on the amount of routes drivers have to cover. The plan could also include a stipend for parents for high school transportation.

The district also wants to create a "routing team" and dedicate more staff to deal with bus routes and address problems.

District leadership has already started meeting with several transportation technology companies, looking for solutions to the issues in the years to come.

This comes as the U.S. Attorney's Office also looks into the district's bus delays. WDRB News obtained 20 pages of emails including questions U.S. Attorneys asked JCPS.

Federal officials asked JCPS about bus level and school level data districtwide for late buses, before and after fall break, which went from Oct. 3-6.

JCPS was also asked about how the school district is implementing education for multilingual and special education students, specifically at Kenwood Elementary School.

Data in those documents showed that, for one week, more than 400 Kenwood students missed an average of 10 minutes of instruction time. There are fewer than 600 students at Kenwood.

JCPS said Kenwood is making sure every student gets enough instructional time, regardless of bus issues.

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