Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Little Miami board hears transportation briefing after 20 athletic trip cancellations
Summary
The Little Miami School Board on Sept. 23 was briefed on 20 athletic field‑trip cancellations this school year, heard that a proposed MOU to allow third‑party coverage "did not pass," and discussed short‑ and long‑term fixes including route evaluation, recruiting, and possible use of smaller vans.
The Little Miami School Board on Tuesday heard a detailed transportation update after the district reported 20 athletic field‑trip cancellations so far this school year.
Superintendent Mrs. Morgan told the board the cancellations are up from three last spring and attributed the increase to district growth, fewer available drivers and unfilled routes. "We are a growing district, so we have more students on our teams which require more buses to be driven," she said, adding many drivers remain assigned to daily routes and may not be available for early morning trips.
The administration proposed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to permit a vetted third party to cover only unfilled trips and to use its own vehicles; the MOU would give Little Miami employees first right to sign up, require trips to be posted 14 days ahead, and would run through May 31, 2026. "If a trip is modified 36 hours or less from the trip an all call will be made for an emergency trip to Little Miami drivers ... then it would go to the third party," Morgan said. Board members later confirmed that the MOU "was voted on and it did not pass."
Board members pressed for data and root‑cause analysis. One member said the district has 64 drivers on record (including van and special‑needs drivers) and questioned whether route design and the district's limit on splitting driver routes contributed more than pure driver shortages. "I think one of the issues is this year we implemented not being able to have the bus drivers split their routes," a board member said, noting that policy changes can reduce flexibility and lead to last‑minute cancellations.
Trust and recruitment were recurring themes. Directors proposed measures including sponsoring CDL training for parents and staff, offering ride‑along experiences to recruit drivers (an idea attributed to neighboring districts), increasing opportunities for drivers to pick up field trips, evaluating route geometry and stop counts, and considering smaller passenger vans for some team travel as an interim step. A board member also said staff should contact applicants more promptly: "I've heard we had 10 people applying for bus driver positions ... and for whatever reason they were never followed up."
Parents and staff who spoke during public comment urged caution about bringing in private contractors. One parent said companies such as Peterman can be difficult to remove once hired and warned of potential long‑term pay and benefits impacts for district drivers.
The board directed staff to continue analysis and to form an ad hoc committee to develop solutions; several board members volunteered to participate. Next steps identified in the discussion included a more detailed staffing and route analysis and targeted recruitment, but no additional formal action was taken at Tuesday's meeting.
