LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Student behavior and challenging routes have been two of the biggest complaints from several Jefferson County Public Schools bus drivers. Both have caused problems for teachers at JCPS as well, according to its union.

Jefferson County Teachers Association is the district's largest teachers' union. Brent McKim is JCTA's president.

"Some of the logistics certainly have been challenging," McKim said.

McKim said to address students showing up to school late, because of delayed buses, some schools will rotate first period, so students do not consistently miss the same classes.

"When teachers are in the classrooms with their kids, they're doing really good work, and they're really having some success with the kids," McKim said. "There are things that schools are doing, like they'll rotate the schedule, so that first period is not the same class every day, so that it's not always affecting the same class and I think there are a number of strategies like that, that schools are doing to minimize the impact of that challenge."

JCPS is short bus drivers. In August, JCPS said it had 568 routes and 578 full-time drivers, but averages 44 drivers calling out each day.

On Monday, a record number of drivers called out, protesting large, challenging routes, and student discipline. More than 100 drivers called out, forcing JCPS to cancel nearly 150 bus routes.

McKim said the state of Kentucky has a responsibility to help district's pay for transportation. McKim said a report from Kentucky Center for Economic Policy stated JCPS was shorted $104 million in transportation funds over four years by the state.

"When you're short on bus drivers, that extra funding could make the difference between being competitive and hiring a bus driver or not," McKim said. "The kids being late the first period ultimately, I think tracks back to underfunding by the state."

When it comes to staff staying after school with students waiting for a bus, McKim said, "for the most part," teachers are no longer staying late. Instead, administrators are taking on that responsibility.

"I think a lot of the building principals and assistant principals are still doing that, so that's really hard on them and continues to be a challenge for administrators," he said. 

McKim said he believes staggering start times for the district has helped in response to a shortage of drivers, but feels the problem will not be solved until the district can fully staff bus drivers.

McKim said concerns related to student behavior are also growing.

"More than any other single thing that we hear about in terms of frustrations is just the behavior problems with students, and the feeling that in this day and age, there are almost no consequences for kids when they are acting out," McKim said.

McKim said JCTA is encouraging the district to implement restorative practices in more schools. 

"It's about first building a culture on the front end, students are more invested in owning the expectations for behavior in the classroom, and when something happens the student will address the other students that were harmed and the kids themselves will say, you know, that bothered me for these reasons," McKim said. "It creates a proactive situation where kids are talking on the front end about what the rules should be and understanding why they're having those rules, so that tends to make it less likely that kids will break rules in the classroom or break the norm."

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