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Parents press district on late bus frequency and accessibility-lift reliability
Summary
Parents and staff raised repeated concerns about late-bus availability and repeated lift and accessibility problems on minibuses and contracted buses; staff described maintenance timing pressures during ESY and said they would coordinate with the transportation director on contingencies.
Parents raised concerns about late-bus frequency and the reliability of wheelchair lifts on district minibuses during the summer and start of school.
One parent described multiple incidents this summer when lifts failed or drivers did not remove a seat to make room for a wheelchair. School staff acknowledged the district had maintenance challenges during ESY because "we use every single mini bus that the district has" during the summer, and one minibuses was in service for a period which created temporary capacity and maintenance pressure.
District staff clarified how transportation responsibilities are organized: the district director of transportation, Michelle Hume, is an NKSD employee who coordinates contracted buses and drivers; the district owns a fleet of minibuses. "The director of transportation in the district is a NKSD employee. So, Michelle Hume is her name," a staff member said, explaining concerns should be routed through the district transportation office and that staff can assist in contacting Michelle.
On late buses, staff said the school committee's original goal was a Monday-through-Thursday late bus, but resource limits had prevented the system from running every evening or matching every activity schedule. "We have run into some challenges with being able to have the amount of buses that they need to be able to do that," a staff member said. Staff asked parents to report problems so administration could follow up.
Staff described contingency approaches used in the past, such as rerouting students so a working lift-equipped bus could serve runs when another bus was under repair. There were no formal votes or policy changes; staff said they would follow up with the transportation director on maintenance scheduling, lift checks and contingency plans.
