Parent raises busing concerns as district cites ‘severe driver shortage’ and recruitment steps

At the Coldwater Community Schools board meeting, parent Jessica Foreman Sylla asked for clear information after repeated bus disruptions left her family and others without scheduled transportation to school and after-school care. "We were just notified that tomorrow we can't utilize that at all because there's no bus to take the kids from kids' club to their various buildings," she said, describing missed trips for athletics and the potential for larger impacts as spring sports begin.

Transportation director Holly Muckle responded that the district is facing "a severe driver shortage" and described steps under way: aggressive advertising, paid training for new drivers, and exploration of a countywide substitute-driver pool to be ready next year. She explained the district operates two types of runs — required special-education runs keyed to a student's IEP and general-education runs — and said the district asks other drivers to cover when possible and seeks substitute drivers where available.

On pay, the meeting recorded approximate substitute and first-year pay figures during discussion; the transcript indicated substitutes at about $17.86 per hour and first-year pay near $20.86 per hour but the board asked staff to confirm exact rates. Muckle said the district believes its pay rates are competitive but emphasized that recruitment is largely constrained by the availability of people to work.

Board members asked follow-up questions about starting pay and next steps; staff said they will continue recruitment and training, and that a countywide substitute pool remains a priority for next year as a systemic response.

Provenance: public comment and staff response recorded during the public participation portion of the meeting.