When classes resume on Tuesday the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System will be unable to provide busing for students in Priority 4 and 5 choice schools. This will affect choice elementary and K-8 students and choice high school and alternative education students, respectively.
In November 2021, Paul Abbott, executive director of transportation for the district, said the district was going to be able to provide afternoon transportation to students in Priority 4, but as of Dec.15, he said the district will not be able to provide afternoon busing.
Abbott said at the in Deceme that because of the continued lack of enough bus drivers, schools where divided based on priority.
“We still can’t get enough drivers on to get behind the wheel to get all choice, priority and zoned students to school," he said.
The district identified five areas of priority for students, with two of them being for choice schools:
- Priority 1: students who need special transportation services, including homeless students.
- Priority 2: for zoned elementary schools and K-8 students.
- Priority 3: zoned middle and high school students.
- Priority 4: choice elementary and K-8 students.
- Priority 5: choice high school and alternative education students.
As of Dec. 15, the district has 242 bus drivers who cover 155 zoned routes that includes 65 for students with disabilities. Abbott said the 155 zoned routes do not include students who attend choice schools.
Abbott didn't provide the number of choice students who will be effected during a board meeting.
At the beginning of the school year in August, the district determined that 20,515 students were eligible to receive transportation and 6,098 of those zoned students declined transportation.
For routed zoned students, 3,638 are in high school, 2,886 are middle school, 2,441 are K-8 and 5,137 are elementary, which is a total of 14,102.
In total,6,524 of zoned high and middle school students got on a bus on a daily basis.
In November, Abbot said there are currently 1,947 students who are in Priority 4 choice elementary and K-8 students. There are 3,491 middle and high students in Priority 5 choice.
The transportation department hired five bus drivers in November, but Abbott said it still isn’t enough to transport the remaining students.
App helps track school bus
In other news, the district launched a bus app in October and it works like a GPS. The app tells the user when a school bus is approaching. The app is called "Here Comes the Bus."
Since launching the app, the district has received about 1,000 responses from parents.
“We have had some positive feedback from parents,” he said.
Abbott said the app works by downloading it from Google Play for android users and the Apple store for iPhone users. After downloading the app, users can scan a QR code on a bus. The app will allow a parent or a student to know where a bus is located in a certain radius.
Abbott said he hopes more people will be able to use the app in the future.
Bianca Moorman is the education reporter. Reach her at BMoorman@gannett.com or 912-239-7706. Find her on Twitter @biancarmoorman.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah public schools bus driver shortage continues, affects choice school students
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