Chino Valley transportation director outlines driver shortage, route consolidation plan by Christmas

Chino Valley — The district's transportation director told the school board the department is working to address driver shortages and student behavior challenges while improving efficiency.

"We are trying to build the transportation department as far as being more cohesive," Selena said, summarizing efforts to hire additional staff and fill open routes. She reported two drivers recently passed third-party testing and noted the department had three open routes at the start of the year that had been filled temporarily by field-trip drivers, dispatch staff and administrators.

Selena described a plan to combine under-enrolled high-school and middle-school routes to create an extra substitute driver and reduce daily strain on office staff and drivers. "We're hoping to have at least a combined route finished by Christmas," she said, adding that the district is also pursuing training for drivers in verbal de-escalation and behavior management to address rising student-conduct incidents at the end of the semester.

Why it matters: driver shortages and overcrowded routes can affect student access and scheduling for athletics and extracurriculars. The director said the RISE program (five days per week) needs a special-needs driver; district staff are recruiting and expect to onboard within two to three weeks if recruitment succeeds.

What happens next: the transportation department will proceed with route-combination plans, notify parents ahead of changes, continue driver recruitment and schedule CPI-style de-escalation training; the board expressed appreciation for drivers' work and asked staff to return with updates on the consolidated route plan.