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Dinwiddie transportation director proposes staggered bell times, schedules public input after study finds 15% of buses late
Summary
Transportation staff proposed an hour-staggered schedule between high school and middle school to reduce late buses and improve route utilization; the board requested community meetings and more stakeholder engagement on childcare impacts.
Transportation Director Walters presented an informational report on district bus operations and proposed options to reduce late buses, shorten route times and expand extracurricular trip availability.
Walters said roughly 15% of daily bus routes run late, affecting about 77 secondary students (about 3.5% of secondary enrollment) and about 98 elementary students (about 4.9% of elementary enrollment). He said students on late routes lose an average of about 40 minutes of instructional time per day (about 9.5% of a school day). Walters attributed the problem primarily to a shortage of substitute drivers rather than unfilled contracted positions and to long, consolidated routes in low-density areas.
Options presented included hiring five to 10 additional drivers (estimated up to roughly $290,000 for 10 drivers), further consolidating special-transportation routes (capital cost estimate shown at about $384,000 for additional small buses and staffing) and restructuring bell schedules to stagger secondary start times and better optimize bus utilization. Walters said current bus utilization hovers in the 50–60% range and that the district’s longest route exceeds 70 minutes; target route length is about 45 minutes.
As a pilot concept, Walters proposed an hour gap between the earliest secondary start (high school) and the next secondary start (middle school) so drivers could complete one route and serve another without producing additional late runs. He said the concept reduced late buses in a district run of 20 late-bus days when applied retrospectively.
Board members and staff raised concerns about childcare providers and after-school programs, noting staggered starts could impose costs or scheduling burdens on families and local providers. Board members suggested inviting local childcare providers into the planning process. Walters said the district will publish community meetings (Midway Elementary, Dinwiddie Elementary and Dinwiddie High School were named as planned locations) and gather stakeholder feedback in March before returning a proposal to the board.
Walters characterized the recommendations as for board consideration; no formal schedule change was approved at the meeting.
