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Mayoral candidate urges Muscogee County schools to fix late buses, consider transit partnerships and electric buses
Summary
Steve Kelly, a mayoral candidate, told the board that late buses cost students instruction time, urged a public forum, suggested transit partnerships and criticized the district—s decision to decline federal electric-bus grants; he called for analysis of consolidated high-school stops and a community-led solution process.
Steve Kelly, a candidate for mayor, used the board—s public-comment period on Sept. 15 to press the district to address late school buses, which he said reduce instructional time and burden families.
Kelly said a 15-minute daily delay across a 180-day school year equals roughly 45 hours of instruction lost per student and described anecdotal incidents in which buses arrived four to 44 minutes late or a child was picked up at 9:24 a.m., nearly 39 minutes after classes began. "When buses are late, students are late and when students are late, learning suffers," Kelly told the board.
He proposed three actionable ideas: convene a public forum with parents, teachers, bus drivers and transit officials; explore strategic partnerships with the public transit system so older students could use metro routes where appropriate; and examine consolidated pickup points in neighborhoods where safety allows to shorten routes. Kelly also urged the district to revisit a prior decision not to accept federal electric-bus grants the district was reportedly eligible to receive, arguing long-term operating savings could justify reconsideration. He estimated electric buses could save about $7,000 per bus per year in fuel and maintenance, and said savings from a fleet of 10 buses could be redirected to driver wages.
Kelly asked the board to engage community stakeholders directly to develop durable solutions; the board did not take action during the meeting in response to his remarks.
