Boone County schools present bus-run data showing 98% on-time routes in first 43 days

Assistant Superintendent for Operations Kim Best and Director of Transportation presented bus-run analysis covering the first 43 days of the school year (first day through Oct. 16). The report summarized operational metrics, causes of late runs and steps the district is taking to reduce lateness.

Key figures presented included 19,780 morning route runs and 663,218 miles driven during the 43‑day sample. Staff reported that 98% of routes arrived to school on time, with the average lateness for late arrivals about seven minutes and a reported range of 1 to 52 minutes for the most extreme cases. The presentation noted 317 recorded late arrivals in the sample window; about half (50%) were five minutes or less late, while 13 occasions were between 21 and 52 minutes late. Two of the largest delays occurred during the first two days and involved special‑education routing complications that were subsequently addressed.

District staff attributed most late runs to vacant routes, driver absences that trigger double runs, vehicle breakdowns, accidents and closed roads. They reported substantial progress filling vacant routes; at the time of the presentation District 3 (Union area) had no vacancies, District 1 had two full vacant routes and three half routes, District 2 had two vacants, and District 4 (special transportation) had one vacant route. The district said it has nine drivers in training and has implemented route restructuring and exchanges to reduce elongated runs.

Board members welcomed the transparency, noting that a narrow sample of complaints can create a distorted perception of overall performance. The superintendent emphasized the complexity of the logistics and the importance of principal communication with transportation staff when on‑site schedules change. Student and board comments connected the transportation discussion to concerns raised elsewhere in the meeting about lost instructional time (e.g., proposed moral‑instruction excursions).

What happens next: District staff will continue to monitor lateness and deploy strategies to reduce doubles and shorten long routes; board members requested continued reporting and acknowledged the training pipeline as a near‑term mitigation.