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District 196 bus driver shortage forcing schedule change
District 196 is considering altering start times at five schools to respond to ongoing school bus driver shortages.
(FOX 9) - Parents in a metro area school district are speaking out against a proposal to change school start times.
This is one of the adjustments being considered by the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district to address a school bus driver shortage.
Unreliable service
The backstory:
Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan public schools has the largest district-operated school bus fleet in Minnesota. Transporting more than 22,000 students daily using 220 district-owned buses. District leaders say due to a driver shortage, routes have been frequently canceled or delayed this school year since September.
What they're saying:
District leaders acknowledged the disruption the bus driver shortage has caused for students and families and are considering multiple transportation policy and structural changes. The district says there are not enough drivers to cover all scheduled routes and adjustments are necessary to improve efficiency and make service more reliable.
Recommended changes include an opt-in model for transportation service annually, reductions of magnet school transportation options, changes to early childhood/center-based locations, plus start time adjustments. The district says five schools would be impacted by varying adjusted times, including Woodland and East Lake Elementary Schools, Valley Middle School of STEM, School of Environmental Studies, and Area Learning Center.
The district says in February it invited families to a Special Board Meeting on Transportation. Now, final recommendations are being presented to the board at the April 13 meeting.
The other side:
Some East Lake Elementary School parents say a change to start times is a major change that would be tough for families to adjust to.
"The time change, that’s going to make a huge impact on our community if that was to happen," said Ruthie Baker, a parent. "Such a drastic change of going from a 9:30 a.m. start to an almost two hours earlier start time. There’s a lot of studies done showing that elementary school-age children need more rest."
"We moved into this neighborhood specifically for this school and being able to adhere to that schedule," said Jeanette Braaten, a parent.
Parents say they were made aware of these final recommendations late last week and hope alternative solutions can be considered before final decisions are potentially made at Monday’s school board meeting.
"We just want to know and understand what could we do as a community. I just want them to take a pause. I think it’s just very quick to vote," said Braaten.
"We want to work with them. We want to have a solution here whether that means our community banding together and doing carpools and ride shares and maybe even expanding the walk-to-school lines," said Baker. "Potentially, pay these bus drivers or offer some sort of incentive that would keep them wanting to keep these odd hours of morning and evening."
What's next:
A recommendation to approve the proposed changes to transportation services is on the agenda for Monday’s school board meeting. If approved, the changes would be implemented in the next school year.