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Board hears about coach and driver shortages as middle school enrollment climbs
Summary
Administrators reported higher middle school enrollment, a shortage of coaches (including a vacancy for a middle school girls wrestling coach) and a tighter-than-usual pool of bus drivers that is limiting travel capacity for student activities.
District administrators told the Weston County School Board that rising middle-school enrollment and staffing shortfalls are creating scheduling and transportation challenges for extracurricular programs.
Middle-school enrollment and sports Middle-school principal Bartlett (first name not specified) reported the middle school is starting the year with about 200 students, creating crowded hallways and pressure on gym space and coaching staff. He said roughly 70 girls are out for volleyball across six teams, with five coaches responsible for practices and scheduling. Cross-country has about 20 participants and middle-school football about 35 players across sixth, seventh and eighth grades.
Athletics staffing issues The board and administrators said the district remains actively recruiting a middle-school girls wrestling coach and that the competition schedule and hiring situation could require adjustments; Bartlett said he was still searching and recruiting people with local ties. Board members acknowledged parents may raise concerns about scheduling and team placement as the district uses A/B/C groupings to balance participation.
Transportation and drivers Transportation staff Troy reported the district received two new Type A buses this August and will surplus older buses, but that the district started the year short one driver and expects another resignation later in the week. Troy said many drivers train as subs and that training timelines vary by individual — “it could be a month, it could be two months or longer” depending on availability and scheduling. Student council leaders and staff said limited driver capacity is already restricting travel: student council will initially travel in suburbans and will be limited to seven students per trip because of vehicle availability.
Why it matters: Enrollment and staffing shortages affect students’ access to extracurricular activities, competitive scheduling and travel. Board members and staff said they will continue recruiting coaches and drivers and asked the transportation committee to consider operational impacts when proposing solutions for stops and schedules.
Ending Board members praised volunteer and community support for athletics and urged continued recruitment of coaches and drivers; no immediate policy changes were adopted at the meeting.
