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Busing shortages, route consolidation and maintenance needs emerge as operational priorities
Summary
Candidates told the board they would prioritize recruiting bus drivers, consider attendance incentives and route consolidation, and align maintenance work with long-range planning to address aging roofs and HVAC systems.
Transportation and facility maintenance were raised repeatedly by board members as concrete operational problems that affect instruction and daily logistics.
Candidates said recruiting drivers is both a pay-and-benefits issue and a scheduling challenge. Mayfield proposed attendance incentives, consolidation of routes in high-density areas and signing bonuses where budget permits; he also recommended taking supervisors off regular routes so they can manage the department. Duncan described expanding benefits to part-time drivers in other districts as a retention strategy he has seen work.
On facilities, candidates acknowledged deferred maintenance on roofs and HVAC systems as visible problems for families and staff. Mayfield said the district has begun using excess fund balance to address roofs and recommended continuing to schedule maintenance and communicate project lists to parents and stakeholders so expectations are managed.
Provenance: Transportation and maintenance topics appear in both interviews and in numerous board questions (Mayfield: SEG 2998'SEG 3170; maintenance: SEG 2146'SEG 2219).
