LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The president of the union that represents Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) bus drivers is in favor of a newly proposed plan that would push back school start times, but wants to see more done to address student misbehavior on school busses.
John Stovall, president of Teamsters Local 783, said the plan would help ease the burden on bus drivers.
"A lot of the bus drivers get burnt out, and now on top of that they're working 11 to 12 hours a day because they're having double shifts, triple shifts, to cover and make sure the kids get picked up," Stovall said. "And unfortunately, they get the brunt of the anger from the parents in the public."
Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio said the plan would reduce the number of bus routes from 732 to 600 and no longer require bus drivers to make double or triple runs to get all students to school. A press release from JCPS states the school district currently has around 660 school bus drivers and plans to keep the same amount next year.
The district also believes later start times for students may better align with their natural sleep schedule which improves attendance.
The new proposal, called Smart Start, would create eight start times from 7:40 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. for students in K-12, and an additional start time of 10:40 a.m. for early childhood center students. The dismissal times would range from 2:20 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. for grades K-12. Early childhood center students would leave school at 5:20 p.m.
"In theory, it sounds great, but you know, until you get into the practice part of it, there still could be problems, but I think it's a step in the right direction," Stovall said.
Stovall said the plan doesn't address a major concern he hears from bus drivers - misbehavior.
"I don't think the public understands what the bus drivers would have to deal with," he said. "I mean, you can only be called so many names and threatened so many times."
Stovall said until the district implements more consequences, the 200 bus driver shortage will continue.
“I realize change is hard and some will be inconvenienced, but this is something we probably should have done decades ago," Pollio said.
JCPS parents have had mixed reactions to the new start times; while some say they would be an easy adjustment, others saw some potential issues.
To see which schools have been moved to which start times, click here.
Jefferson County's School Board is expected to vote on the proposal by mid to late March.
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