Framingham reports chronic bus driver shortage and plans in‑house transition; committee hears 'hundreds' of students lack service
October 30, 2024 | Framingham Public Schools, School Boards, Massachusetts
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Lincoln Lynch, executive director of finance and operations, told the committee the district still expects 77 drivers every day but is currently averaging 53, and that the district aims for 18 monitors. "We still expect 77 drivers every day ... we are at a 53 driver count," he said, summarizing a 36‑day operational report through Oct. 22.
Why it matters: reduced driver counts have led to combined routes, longer runs and numerous late buses, which committee members said is causing student absenteeism and food‑security concerns when students miss meals served at school.
Key details: Lynch said the district will publish a consolidated late‑run report grouped by elementary, middle and high schools and that the district defines late as arriving 10 or more minutes after the last afternoon bell (one minute or more after the morning bell). He reiterated the district’s goal of moving to in‑house transportation with a target start date of July 1 (staff recruitment and job descriptions are underway), and listed recruitment steps: job postings, outreach at city events, flyers, engagement of adult ESL students and MassHire partnerships.
Committee concerns: Several members said the number of students without service is in the 'hundreds' and warned of chronic absenteeism and secondary effects such as lost meals. Mr. Freyberg asked the administration to analyze outlier schools with very high late‑run rates (he flagged Hemingway with an 81.53% afternoon late rate in the report) and to track financial overtime impacts.
Administration response and next steps: Lynch said staff will track student‑level impacts and include the number of students missing buses in future reports, investigate outlier schools between meetings, finalize a bus‑driver job description, and post recruitment materials. The district will provide a more detailed in‑house transition update in November and expects to run in‑house operations starting July 1.
Why it matters: reduced driver counts have led to combined routes, longer runs and numerous late buses, which committee members said is causing student absenteeism and food‑security concerns when students miss meals served at school.
Key details: Lynch said the district will publish a consolidated late‑run report grouped by elementary, middle and high schools and that the district defines late as arriving 10 or more minutes after the last afternoon bell (one minute or more after the morning bell). He reiterated the district’s goal of moving to in‑house transportation with a target start date of July 1 (staff recruitment and job descriptions are underway), and listed recruitment steps: job postings, outreach at city events, flyers, engagement of adult ESL students and MassHire partnerships.
Committee concerns: Several members said the number of students without service is in the 'hundreds' and warned of chronic absenteeism and secondary effects such as lost meals. Mr. Freyberg asked the administration to analyze outlier schools with very high late‑run rates (he flagged Hemingway with an 81.53% afternoon late rate in the report) and to track financial overtime impacts.
Administration response and next steps: Lynch said staff will track student‑level impacts and include the number of students missing buses in future reports, investigate outlier schools between meetings, finalize a bus‑driver job description, and post recruitment materials. The district will provide a more detailed in‑house transition update in November and expects to run in‑house operations starting July 1.
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