LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- As Jefferson County Public Schools battles issues with late buses and transportation struggles, it's looking ahead to options for next school year.

"In 2015, we had 975 routes and just shy of 1,100 drivers," interim Chief Operations Officer Rob Fulk said at Tuesday night's Jefferson County School Board meeting. "Our current reality is, as of today, we have 563 routes and 574 full-time drivers."

Fulk said, on average, 51 drivers call out each day. It's nearly 60 on Mondays and Fridays. He said the goal is to get students off the bus by 6:30 p.m., but the average time from early October to late November was 30 minutes past that at 7 p.m.

JCPS board member Linda Duncan said during the meeting that the ideal situation to solve the transportation woes plaguing Louisville's public school families is a return to two start times.

"When we do multiple start times, we wind up with what we're doing right now," she said. "... when 6:30 at night is a target, that is, to me, unacceptable."

Middle school and high school instruction previously started at 7:40 a.m., while elementary schools started at 9:05 a.m. The new plan adopted this year by Jefferson County Public Schools includes nine different start times ranging from 7:40 a.m. to as late as 10:40 a.m.

At the meeting, both Fulk and Superintendent Marty Pollio said going back to two start times is not the solution.

"It would be a 10X disaster of what we have right now," Pollio said. 

Fulk said if JCPS had two start times, the district would need 850 bus routes this school year, and have less than 600 drivers.

"That's not an option," said Fulk.

Almost halfway through the school year, JCPS continues to struggle with late buses and a shortage of bus drivers. In early November, the district canceled more than 100 routes due to drivers calling out. 

JCPS parent Tiandra Robinson said Wednesday her son's bus home from Central High School hasn't had any concerning delays this year. But that wasn't the case for her fourth-grade daughter who goes to a different JCPS school.

"That first week of school, she was getting home so late I just made the decision to make her a car-rider in the afternoon," Robinson said.

JCPS is looking at a slew of possible changes ahead of next school year, options ranging from cutting 15 to more than 100 buses by:

  • Eliminating all bus transportation for magnet and traditional schools, only transporting free and reduced lunch students to those schools
  • Creating a hub for magnet and traditional school students
  • Creating a lottery for available seats leftover on buses
  • Eliminate "grandfathering" for prior student assignment plan
  • Offering a parent stipend for high school student transportation

Fulk said he doesn't believe there's enough space with car rider lines at elementary schools for a stipend to be possible for there.

Decisions on who gets to ride the bus next school year won't come until early next year, Pollio said. Fulk estimated eliminating all magnet and traditional school bus offerings would cut around 100 routes. 

JCPS also wants to create a "routing team" and dedicate more staff to deal with bus routes and address problems. Fulk said it would be a team of six people who would help with routing.

Pollio has not yet made a recommendation to the board but said the district is sending information to families as they fill out school choice applications, which are due later this month.

"I don't think it's going to be a one-size-fits-all solution," Robinson said.

JCPS said the school board will likely vote on what's next in late February or March.

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