Denny, the district’s transportation presenter, told the Clear Creek Amana Community School District board that fall 2025 ridership and route demand increased compared with prior years and that staffing and route-time pressures remain the top operational issues.

Denny reported an increase of 1,878 students assigned to routes compared with recent years and said regular routes rose to 60 this year from 57. "We are up 1,878 students in our system...Ridership is up. I will say that we have full buses," he said. He told the board Wednesday afternoons were the most challenging, with some elementary buses routed to capacity and overflow runs needed for middle- and high-school routes.

Drivers were reported at 55 active drivers, but Denny said many newer hires prefer substitute or limited schedules, which leaves gaps for regularly scheduled routes. "55 is good, but...we've got a lot of subs," he said, adding that the district still needs more large-bus drivers to increase flexibility. Fleet totals cited: 32 large buses (25 typically on routes daily), 18 vans and a small number of minibuses. The department recently placed two seat-belt buses into service for Clipper Academy preschool routes and said those preschool runs currently transport 62 students.

Denny described special programs that affect routing: a magnet program of about 31 students consolidated onto one route, 13 school-to-school staff-child rides, multiple out-of-district shuttles (including a Kirkwood shuttle for students attending off-site classes), and activity shuttles that run mornings and multiple afternoons per week. He said the district runs 8 routes to transport Clipper Academy preschool students and that some preschool route challenges are driven by the center’s location.

Operational priorities Denny listed were reducing overtime, improving route efficiencies and recruiting regular large-bus drivers. He also noted technology and communication tools in use: the StopFinder app has roughly 600 active subscribers (about 1,600 invitations were sent at the start of the year), which he called a helpful tool for families. On fleet planning, Denny said the district intends to seek additional minibuses over the next procurement cycle and to retain vehicles required for wheelchair students.

Board members asked whether activity shuttles are common elsewhere; Denny said the district is "the exception" locally and that removing those services would generate discussion because they enable participation, particularly for disadvantaged students. He and other board members praised transportation staff for stepping up to meet demand.

No formal action was requested; the presentation closed and the meeting moved to school-building reports.