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Parents press Blue Valley board over repeated Durham bus delays; district cites staffing and sub drivers

Blue Valley Board of Education · November 11, 2025
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Summary

A parent described repeated October delays on Bus 29 and urged penalties or refunds from Durham; district operations staff said most routes are meeting on-time metrics but that driver shortages leave 15–17 routes covered by substitutes.

Brett Lochsterman told the Blue Valley Board of Education at its Nov. 10 meeting that his family has endured repeated bus delays on Bus 29 and asked the district to review enforceable penalties in its Durham Transportation contract and consider refunding parents who pay for unreliable service.

"This complete lack of service leaves our family deciding if we leave 1 child at home asleep to get the other to school on time," Lochsterman said, detailing multiple October messages reporting delays of 10 to 45 minutes and several instances when Bus 29 had no driver.

District operations director Jason Gillum acknowledged the complaints and described ongoing efforts with Durham, saying the vendor remains short of regular drivers and has been covering routes with substitute drivers while actively recruiting and training new staff. "On-time performance is measured within 10 minutes of a set time," Gillum said. "The on time performance for Durham is not quite to the mark that we want. They're within a couple percent of it." He added later that performance is currently near "96, 97%" with a district goal of 98% for Durham.

Gillum said substitute drivers are fully trained but may be less familiar with specific routes, which can reduce efficiency, and noted other constraints including applicant screening, background checks and drug-and-alcohol testing that have limited the pool of hireable candidates. He also said Durham is offering competitive pay in the metro area and that some routes are staffed by drivers from neighboring communities.

Board members pressed for more detail about Route 29 specifically and for the report Gillum referenced from the workshop. One board member urged considering contract changes that would create stronger incentives for Durham, including reimbursement to families when service falls short. Gillum said he would share the workshop report and is continuing work with Durham operations managers to reduce delays, including potential adjustments to anchor start times.

The board did not take formal action at the meeting; staff said they would follow up with families and provide the workshop report to board members.

Next steps: District staff will circulate the Durham performance report that was discussed at the workshop and continue recruitment and operational adjustments to improve reliability.