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Superintendent outlines plan to ease bus driver shortage with early‑start schedules
Summary
Superintendent congratulated graduates and retirees, then described workarounds for a multiyear bus‑driver shortage: route reductions and early‑start schedules at two schools next year to help improve on‑time performance.
Madison County's superintendent addressed graduation and retirements and detailed a transportation plan intended to reduce the district's chronic driver shortage and improve timeliness.
"After 5 years of trying ... we had to come up with other ways of reducing routes and helping our transportation department," the Superintendent told the board, describing decisions to adopt early‑start schedules at Kirksville and Waco for the coming school year so routes could be completed more reliably. He said principals and staff at the early‑start schools were aware and had provided positive feedback.
The superintendent framed the change as an operational step rather than a cure: it should reduce late buses and improve on‑time arrivals, but it would not eliminate all transportation challenges. Board members thanked maintenance and bus‑garage staff for their work and noted that the district had used temporary measures, like additional routes covered by extra drivers, to manage shortages in previous years.
The board accepted the superintendent's presentation and expressed support for monitoring the pilot early‑start changes and returning with evaluations and any needed adjustments after the school year begins.
