Parents urge reinstatement of elementary bus service; board cites budget and driver shortages

Several parents told the Klay County School Board on March 5 that recent cuts to elementary bus service have left young children facing unsafe walking routes. Steven Vanway urged the board to keep a route into his neighborhood on Sleepy Hollow and described heavy construction traffic, poor sight lines and animal hazards that make walking to school unsafe for young students.

Board and district staff explained the transportation reductions stemmed from state-mandated budget cuts and that driver shortages constrain the district’s ability to add routes. District staff said an analysis showed restoring the requested service would require about 14 additional routes; without more drivers adding those routes could reduce service elsewhere.

Superintendent Broski and staff advised two immediate avenues for families: (1) file a hazardous-walking-condition inspection request under the statutory process the district uses to evaluate unsafe walking routes, and (2) request a courtesy rider seat on an existing bus when capacity allows. Trustees said they will continue to evaluate options, with several expressing a desire to restore elementary service when funding and staffing permit.