School bus delays cause students to be late, CMCSS works to resolve issues and hire drivers

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Christa Stotler’s 16-year-old son is an all-A’s student at Northeast High School. He is in honors classes and marching band, and he is vice president of his class. But since the start of the year, his good behavior and attendance record have been affected by school bus delays.

On the first day of school in August, Stotler’s son was picked up from the bus stop almost an hour and a half late. While things have improved since then, they are still a consistent problem that Stotler’s son faces, often causing him to show up 15 to 30 minutes late for first period.

On Nov. 5, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board heard a progress report on the situation and what is being done to address it.

Delayed buses cause delays

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System has been dealing with “growing pains” as they deal with workforce shortages in the transportation sector, and students and their families are feeling the pressure.

Three months into the 2024-2025 school year, families like Stotler’s have noticed issues with the timeliness of bus pick-ups and student drop-offs at school.

“He’s a weird kid,” Stotler told Clarksville Now about her son. “He actually really likes school. He really enjoys it.”

Stotler and her husband have tried to commute to Northeast in the morning to take their son to school themselves. Normally they can get him there on time, but sometimes the morning traffic and traffic jams make them five to ten minutes late.

Compared to the bus delays, Stotler’s son doesn’t miss that much class time, but there is one glaring problem: latecomers are excused, but late parents are not. Now Stotler’s son is arrested for his tardiness.

Shortage of bus drivers

CMCSS Chief Operations Officer Norm Brumblay explained to the board this week some of the causes of the bus delay problem and what they are doing to address it.

“Remember when we were at about 50% (school bus driver) capacity in 2022? Those were tough days,” Brumblay told the board. He explained that by 2023 they managed to reach between 65% and 70% capacity, and by the 2024-2025 school year they started at 80% capacity.

But there are still 13 open routes and 232 drivers serving 32,600 students. Because usually 4% of drivers call per day, CMCSS temporarily combines routes (double trips). These are buses that complete two assigned separate line runs, with office staff or maintenance technicians serving as temporary drivers.

“These may occasionally lead to deviations in planning, we understand that,” said Brumblay. “But we also believe this is preferable to cutting or completely eliminating the route, which is what 25 percent of school districts in Tennessee are currently doing due to staffing shortages.”

Ongoing recruitment initiatives aim to reach a target of over 290 full-time drivers by 2025.

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When new bus drivers complete the training, they are assigned to routes that eliminate the number of uncovered routes and duplicate runs, said CMCSS spokesman Anthony Johnson. As more drivers are hired, the number of late buses will continue to decrease, with replacement drivers on hand in case any drivers are absent.

Unfortunately, Johnson said, CMCSS must continue to conduct daily double runs until they are fully staffed. There are employees in buildings who are compensated for their extra task of monitoring students before and after school.

The CMCSS transportation department sends daily messages to families through ParentSquare about bus running times or other updates, such as route changes.

Apologies versus unexcused lateness

Johnson told Clarksville Now that the CMCSS student code of conduct includes a range of consequences for excessive lateness. However, the high school principal confirmed to administrators that they work with families affected by late buses.

“We encourage families experiencing transportation issues to contact the school administration to discuss their concerns,” Johnson said. “Looking at sample data from a high school that has multiple late buses, there have been a total of nine tardiness referrals this school year, with the majority occurring between classes rather than in the morning.”

Johnson said schools will work with families on plans to address lateness and absenteeism. CMCSS offers an escalation schedule to help families navigate the process if they feel a resolution has not been found at the school level.

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Solve problems to boost hiring

CMCSS, like other school districts across the country, has experienced labor shortages in recent years. The pandemic has exacerbated the problem and the 2021-2022 and 2022-23 school years have been the most difficult yet for CMCSS.

According to Johnson, one of the challenges in retention and recruitment has been student behavior, and CMCSS has implemented student accountability measures and a student transportation safety and discipline coordinator. These steps have helped address several issues, he said.

“CMCSS is actively hiring bus drivers,” Johnson said. “If you are looking for an opportunity to have a flexible schedule, excellent benefits, and still be home after school for your children, consider becoming a school bus driver.”

Experience is not necessary. Interested candidates can stop by CMCSS’s weekly recruiting events every Wednesday from 9:00 AM to noon at the CMCSS Operations Complex: 2620 Madison St. For more information about job openings, visit cmcss.net/employment.

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