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RSU 40/MSAD 40 board hears transportation staffing crunch as more students shifted to vans
Summary
The board was told bus-driver vacancies, an expected resignation and an increase of roughly 20–40 students moved to vans are straining transportation; the business manager said staff will take the issue to the facility/transportation committee after school starts.
The RSU 40/MSAD 40 board heard detailed concerns about transportation staffing and safety during its Aug. 1 meeting. The business manager reported ongoing driver shortages, an expected additional resignation and a shift of roughly "between 20 and 40" students to vans, increasing strain on routes and staff.
"We're going to have a problem," the business manager said, describing how van assignments have grown and how younger children require car seats that complicate capacity. The manager explained van-driver qualifications differ from school-bus drivers: "they only need to pass a drug test, a driver's test, or have a valid driver's license and physical," but noted state licensing and vehicle-size constraints limit how many children a van may carry.
The business manager cited inconsistent capacity figures in the discussion: in the transcript they said a van "transports more than 9 children" may be disallowed and later referenced "It might 12 without a CDL," indicating uncertainty in the recorded remarks. The manager also said some shorter special-education buses require the same driver license as full-size buses.
Board members pressed for follow-up. The manager and staff said they will present a fuller report to the facility/transportation committee once school starts and while continuing recruitment efforts. The board did not adopt a formal policy change at the meeting; the business manager framed the item as an operational update and asked for committee-level work to address driver recruitment and route safety.
Clarifying details in the meeting: the manager estimated an additional van-driver need to cover current assignments if more than four or five students are routed to each van; the transcript references between "20 and 40 children" moved to vans and notes driver-licensing distinctions for short buses versus full-size buses. The transcript does not show a formal vote or an enacted policy tied to this presentation.
Next steps: staff will return to the facility/transportation committee with specific numbers and recommendations after school begins.
