To help stop school bus cancellations, Fayette considers contract for vans, drivers
To help stop bus route cancellations amid an ongoing driver shortage, Fayette school officials are considering a $440,000 contract with an outside group to drive as many as 10 vans.
School board members will vote Dec. 13 on whether to approve a $440,000 contract with the National Association of Pupil Transportation Collaborative.
That outside group has been helping school districts across the country with an alternative transportation model that uses vans for some routes. It has been successful, said district spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall.
A school bus driver shortage has caused recurring route cancellations and delays in Fayette County. By late September, canceled bus routes had caused at least 1,164 Fayette County Public Schools students to miss a half day or more this school year.
“Throughout the first semester, we have kept our community informed about efforts to address this challenge, which have included new recruitment strategies, higher salaries for bus drivers, attendance incentive pay, and a prescheduled rotation of bus cancellations,” said Deffendall.
But officials said more help is needed.
Superintendent Demetrus Liggins said at a Monday board meeting that the Kentucky Department of Education determined the proposal exceeds all safety and other requirements for staffing, training and vehicles.
Federal COVID dollars would likely be used and costs would include the van and driver, chief operating officer Myron Thompson said.
Board chair Tyler Murphy said the proposal was not an attempt to privatize the existing infrastructure or to affect current transportation workers.
The new model would likely begin in January 2022, adding up to 10 vans to eliminate the current schedule of route cancellations.
“Under the proposal, the district would contract with the National Association of Pupil Transportation Collaborative to provide van service for students on some of the routes that serve smaller groups of riders,” Deffendall said.
“As required under state law, all drivers will be required to go through the same background check process as district employees and contractors. If approved, this pilot program would start with a few carefully identified routes in January and be carefully monitored to ensure we are providing high-quality and safe service to our students and families,” she said.
Thompson said the new model would be more efficient than having routes with few riders.
