Kyrene transportation director details rolling middle-school stops, opt-in rides and driver shortage
Summary
The district plans centralized stops and a rolling middle-school stop model for 2026–27 and is launching an opt-in transportation program. Transportation director Michelle Parmley said the district still needs about 23 bus drivers and is working on communication and routing.
At the Jan. 13 meeting, Transportation Director Michelle Parmley told the Kyrene Governing Board that the district had preserved existing school start times and tier placements for 2026–27 while working on route consolidation and several operational changes.
Parmley said district staff are preparing an "opt in" transportation program and are implementing centralized stops in neighborhoods for elementary and middle-school students. She described a rolling middle-school stop model, planned for the 2026–27 school year, that staggers campus drop-off times to allow buses to complete additional nearby routes between waves.
On workforce needs, Parmley said the district currently needs "about 23, I believe" bus drivers; she noted a few recent resignations due to medical reasons and said staff continue recruitment for CDL and non-CDL positions, monitors and before/after-school staff. Board members asked about partnering with public transit; Parmley said the district investigated that option but developed a plan to keep transportation in-house with proper supervision.
Parmley also outlined communications plans: the route and opt-in information will be shared with bus families and through school communications prior to open enrollment and as part of back-to-school materials, with some middle-school rolling-stop details communicated directly to affected schools at a later date.
The board thanked the transportation team for maintaining consistency in start times and tiers amid the district’s transition work.
