Youngstown schools will stop providing school buses to high school students

The Youngstown City School District will no longer provide buses to high school students due to difficulties finding bus drivers, a decision approved by the school board at its Tuesday meeting.

The district said in a news release that high school students will either need to use public transportation or find other ways to get to school. Buses will still be available for students in grades K-8 and for high school students with disabilities. Other large school districts in Northeast Ohio, such as Cleveland and Akron, do not offer school bus transportation to high school students, but give them free bus passes from local transit authorities.

“This is news we didn’t want to break,” Youngstown Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor said in the release. “The administration and school board are discussing the most effective course of action. After careful consideration, the decision was made to discontinue transportation for high school students for the foreseeable future and offer WRTA (Western Reserve Transit Authority), which is a free mode of transportation for all riders, as an option. The District is working closely with the WRTA to ensure families are kept informed throughout this transition. The YCSD would also like to point out that no drivers have lost their jobs due to the changes.

The district faces a “$2 million withholding penalty due to non-compliance” with Ohio Department of Education requirements, which the district says stems from the bus driver shortage .

“The YCSD is legally responsible for transportation of all eligible students to the district, community, or non-public charter schools where they are enrolled. With 14 buildings in the neighborhood and 36 transportation vehicles in total, it has its challenges,” Batchelor said in the release. “The district sincerely appreciates all of our families and extended families at other charter and non-public schools. We thank you for your cooperation and continued support.

Other districts across the country have struggled in recent years with difficulty finding enough bus drivers, a problem due in part to the profession’s low wages, according to a study by the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank. non-partisan.

Youngstown said it will offer updates in the coming week and solicit proposals from “third-party providers” for additional transportation assistance.