Board hears urgent transportation report: district short on drivers, routes consolidated

At the board meeting Kurt, who leads transportation operations for the district, warned members the district is short-staffed for bus drivers and will need additional recruitment and possibly training partnerships to fill routes.

Kurt said three route drivers left and the district consolidated routes to maintain service, with some Marshalltown shuttle pick-up times adjusted earlier in the morning. He reported one new hire, Allison Brazina, assigned to the Marshalltown stop; that route will be combined with another. Kurt described continued applicant screening but said many applicants live outside reasonable travel distance or lack experience, and he urged consideration of targeted recruitment or training supports (for example, tuition or sign-on assistance to gain bus endorsements). "We need drivers bad," Kurt said, summarizing the staffing shortage and its impact on scheduling.

The board discussed publishing precise bus-stop and shuttle times in JMC and sending a parent email with bus numbers and driver assignments to reduce morning confusion. Kurt said the district would update route times after a brief operational period and then share final times with secretaries and parents. The board also discussed auctioning older buses rather than trading them in, and noted a new activity bus is expected later in the year.

Next steps: district staff will publish preliminary bus times to parents, pursue applicants and explore training/sign-on options, and return with a report and proposed incentives for driver recruitment.