School bus contractor outlines staffing, route fixes as parent describes child left at wrong stop

Ketchikan — First Student’s local manager told the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District Board of Education on Sept. 24 that driver shortages, route restructures and early‑season rider changes caused late buses and some overloads early in the school year, and that the contractor is recruiting drivers and adjusting stop assignments to reduce problems.

Michael Johnson, First Student location manager, described steps the company has taken since late summer: streamlining CDL testing access for applicants, raising pay for drivers and attendants, consolidating routes to an all‑island coverage model and expanding service into the West End to reduce long walks to stops. “We have gotten some great traction … we have had a lot of successes,” Johnson said, noting one candidate was traveling to Juneau for testing because local examiners are not available.

The company also described operational changes that contributed to early delays: an earlier bell time at Point Higgins, combining multiple school networks on single routes and the practice of updating seating charts on routes during the first weeks of school. Johnson said afternoon runs, when students are more active, have been the most challenging and that the district funds a second adult on some crowded routes to manage behavior.

Why it matters: Board members and parents said safety and reliable service are priorities after parents reported missed buses, late arrivals and confusion about drop‑off points. At the meeting a parent, Charles Dodd, described a child who was dropped at a daycare other than the one listed on paperwork and who walked about 1.6 miles alone. “Why isn’t contacting the police for a lost 6‑year‑old boy not the first course of action?” Dodd asked the board, saying First Student and the school repeatedly passed responsibility to one another.

Johnson told the board that drivers report misconduct and that the company tracks incident reports: parents should call dispatch at (907) 225‑3806 or use firstfeedback.com to report problems. He also said the district classifies bus transportation as a privilege and that drivers and schools follow stepwise discipline processes for misconduct.

Board response and next steps: Board members asked for clearer communication to families on how and when to report misconduct and missing children. Member Ginter asked that the district provide the complainant with formal complaint paperwork; Board Clerk Chloe Hall said she would provide the district’s complaint form and follow up. Superintendent Ford Slack said the district will provide whatever paperwork and assistance the parent needs and that a formal finding of fact process exists for complaints that are filed.

During the report, Johnson also described support tasks that have created scheduling pressure — meal deliveries using a box truck, route lineup changes at large campuses and frequent last‑minute rider changes — and that the contractor and district are discussing whether dedicated crew support for meal handling would improve reliability.

Board members and staff acknowledged no single fix will resolve all issues immediately and urged First Student and district staff to continue recruiting drivers, clarify parent reporting procedures and present an update at a future meeting.

Ending: The board clerk offered to provide the parent with the district complaint form and an executive administrative staff member offered to assist with follow‑up the next day. The parent said he will file a formal complaint. The board did not take a formal vote specifically on transportation at the Sept. 24 meeting, but directed staff to follow up and bring corrective options back to the board.