LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Jefferson County School Board will take the next month to decide on a new transportation plan for Louisville's public school system, an attempt to solve a problem that has plagued the district for six months.

Jefferson County Public Schools students lost nearly 4 million minutes of instructional time because of bus delays in the October-December period of 2023, nearly four times the instructional time lost during the same period in 2022, according to a WDRB News analysis of data obtained in a public records request.

Last year, there were only two school start times. Middle school and high schools started at 7:40 a.m., while elementary schools started at 9:05 a.m. Under the new plan, start times range from 7:40 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. 

The new system of nine different start times had a disastrous rollout in August when delays forced the cancellation of six days of school. Things have improved since then, but the district said returning to two start times isn't an option with the current number of bus drivers.

"If we go back to two start times, we can book it right now that next year you'll be doing a story that says the number of minutes being lost in instruction is much higher than last year," JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio said last month.

To make matters worse, JCPS is expected to have even fewer drivers next school year, exacerbating the existing issues. So on Tuesday night, the board will begin conversations on possibly eliminating transportation for some students next year. Pollio said there are three basic scenarios available to the board:

  1. No longer provide buses for students who attend magnet and traditional schools and only provide transportation to residents students, alternative school student and ECE students
  2. Operate central hubs where magnet and traditional schools could get bused to school from a drop-off point instead of from their neighborhoods
  3. Make no changes and keep the current system and its associated delays

"None of them are perfect options," Pollio said last month. "They all come with consequences and unintended consequences, but we want the community and our board to know what those consequences are going into it and then make an informed decision."

But in its transportation update that'll be presented to the board Tuesday, JCPS said the first option above is the only one that will reduce the number of routes needed with buses clearing by 6-6:15 p.m.

Option No. 2, the district said, would still cause bus delays with a bus clear time of 6:45-7 p.m. And option No. 3 would make buses even later than this school year with a clear time of 7:15-7:30 p.m., JCPS said.

Download PDF JCPS Transportation Update (February 2024)

And while JCPS favors the resides only transportation plan, it would bring its own set of challenges.

"We do not have a way to estimate the number of magnet/traditional students who will return to resides," the district says in its presentation to the board. "This will require rebalancing times for schools as we have the majority of magnet schools currently starting in the 7:40 start time.

"For reside schools that are over capacity, the district will need to look at adjusting boundary lines."

Pollio said not doing anything before August means next year would be even worse.

"We only have two options we can do right now: Dramatically increase the number of bus drivers or decrease the number of routes which means services to families," he said. "That is the only way we are going to get kids every day on time to school and get them home efficiently."

At Tuesday's meeting, the board will also learn more about driver retention and why drivers have left this school year as well as new recruitment efforts by the district.

According to board documents for Tuesday's meeting, the district has lost 99 bus drivers since July 1, 2023. Thirty-four drivers retired, 41 drivers resigned, and 24 drivers took another job with JCPS. The data says the district has only hired 68 new drivers since the same date.

JCPS also notes it contacted every former employee in January to find their reason for leaving. Top reasons included length of routes, personal reasons (medical or family related), opting instead to be a part-time substitute driver, or took a job out of JCPS.

A vote and final decision on next year's transportation plan is expected in March.

JCPS Transportation Coverage:

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