First Student outlines driver shortages, route changes after start‑of‑year delays; parent says 6‑year‑old left at wrong stop

Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District trustees heard an extended briefing from Michael Johnson, First Student’s local manager, on start‑of‑year transportation problems and fixes, and heard a public comment from a parent who said his 6‑year‑old was left at the wrong stop on Sept. 2 and walked alone.

“Transportation is always a challenging hot topic,” Michael Johnson said, describing labor shortages, changes to bell times and a shift to “all‑island” route coverage the district and company implemented in August. He told the board the company has made recruiting gains — including a candidate travelling to Juneau to take the Commercial Driver’s License exam — but that driver absences, route reconfigurations and new bell times produced late buses and some overloaded routes at the start of school.

Johnson described specific operational…