Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Camdenton R-III board approves 2025-26 bus routes after transportation report
Summary
The Camdenton R-III School Board approved the district—s 2025-26 bus routes after a presentation on ridership, mileage and safety practices. The transportation director detailed fleet size, route counts, testing and inspection results.
The Camdenton R-III School Board voted to approve the district—s 2025-26 bus routes after a presentation by district transportation staff on operations, ridership and safety.
District transportation staff presented data showing current operations and safety checks, and described the route plan for the coming school year before the board moved to approve the routes. Staff said the system will operate 59 routes using a fleet of 78 buses and that the district currently lists 79 commercial driver—s license holders available for routes and shuttles.
The presentation focused on ridership and mileage trends. Staff said September ridership figures were higher in some neighborhoods but cautioned those counts can be inflated when students live outside the district yet are still included on the district—s ridership list. The transportation presenter said GPS tracking has provided more accurate mileage than prior methods and that overall eligible route miles are lower than last year.
Safety and compliance were emphasized. Staff reported a surprise inspection on Sept. 11 that covered about 10 percent of buses and attained a 100 percent result for that check. The district also reported a highway-patrol certificate recognition for inspections meeting the 90 percent-or-better standard. The district contracts with Lake Regional for drug and alcohol testing and said about 79 drivers are in the random testing pool.
During the presentation, the transportation presenter described a staff recognition program (a challenge coin) intended to reward drivers who go above and beyond for students and colleagues. Several board members responded to the operational details with questions and then moved to approve the routes.
Motion and vote: A board member moved to approve the 2025-26 bus routes as presented. A second was given. The transcript records three "Aye" responses; no individual roll-call names for votes were provided in the record. The recorded tally in the transcript was three yes votes and the motion carried.
What the approval includes: The materials provided to the board and discussed at the meeting list 78 buses, 59 routes, 6 to 7 shuttle vehicles depending on daily need, eight 4-trip buses, two early-childhood routes and five lead buses for after-school service. Staff said the district will continue routine training for drivers (student management, pre-trip inspections, drug and alcohol regulations, evacuation drills and driving techniques) and will run a bus-evacuation exercise on the morning of the 22nd at the high school.
Board direction and next steps: No additional conditions or amendments were recorded with the motion. Staff will implement the approved route plan and continue to provide updates on ridership, mileage and safety inspections.
Ending: The board—s action completes the administrative step of adopting routes for the 2025-26 year; staff said they will continue to monitor ridership, attendance and safety trends and return with updates as needed.
