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Magnolia ISD staff warn driver shortage is straining routes; district explores bell-time shifts to save costs
Summary
District transportation staff told the Magnolia ISD school board that a prolonged school bus driver shortage is forcing overtime, route consolidations and third‑party contracts; staff presented options including moving junior high to a different route tier and shifting bell times to cut roughly 10 routes and save an estimated $800,000.
Magnolia Independent School District transportation staff told the board that a persistent shortage of school bus drivers is forcing daily overtime, route consolidations and third‑party contracts and is reducing service reliability.
In a presentation to trustees, a district transportation official said national and local surveys show driver shortages are the department's “biggest pain point,” and that Magnolia ISD is operating with dozens of funded but unfilled driver positions. The presenter said 91% of surveyed districts reported operations constrained by driver shortages and described how staff and mechanics are regularly covering routes to keep buses running.
The presentation outlined operational…
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