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Schools press Noble County to prioritize connector routes after winter storms; highway officials cite staffing gaps
Summary
West Noble and other school representatives told commissioners that limited county snow‑response capacity contributed to school delays; highway officials said retirements and CDL restrictions have reduced experienced snowplow staff and pledged closer coordination on key connector routes.
Representatives from West Noble and East Noble schools told the Noble County commissioners that recent heavy wet snow events disrupted school transportation and that prioritizing a handful of key connector roads would allow schools to open with delays rather than close.
Nate Lau, representing West Noble School Corporation, and Brandon Cortes, West Noble transportation director, described the importance of a two‑hour head start to get buses and parents safely on campus: "That two hours would give us what we needed to bring kids to campus," Lau said. The school officials thanked highway staff for recent early responses and asked for formalized communication and a list of priority county roads that feed school campuses.
Highway staff reported a sharp drop in combined snowplow experience — from 192 combined years in 2022 to roughly 85 now — citing retirements, vacancies and federal CDL changes that have limited available endorsements. Staff explained that new trucks use Allison automatic transmissions and that many incoming hires are limited to automatic endorsements, which complicates flexibility when manual vehicles are in the fleet. The director said some routes average 60–70 miles and require 8–9 hours for a single plow run in heavy snow, underscoring the operational limits.
Commissioners and schools agreed to continue the direct communication that produced improved results in recent storms and to examine targeted priorities for the west side of the county and other townships. Highway staff also said they will explore GPS route optimization and training opportunities to rebuild field experience over time.
The discussion produced no formal vote but resulted in an action to maintain and expand scheduled coordination between highway staff and school transport directors.
