BENTONVILLE -- School District officials are considering a plan to consolidate bus stops to reduce their number of routes, which they say will result in a more reliable transportation system for families.
Jason Salmons, the district's transportation director, presented the concept during a School Board work session Thursday.
The Bentonville district has an increasing number of students riding its school buses and -- like many school districts -- struggles to find people to drive those buses, Salmons told the board.
The district had 152 delayed routes and 149 canceled routes during the first four months of this school year because of the driver shortage, according to Salmons.
The administration's proposal is to consolidate multiple bus stops to general locations, such as parks, churches and businesses with large parking lots, within one mile of most homes.
It's expected the change would reduce the number of routes from 118 to about 89 -- a 25% cut. Families would be able to register for a preferred bus stop and students would still be scheduled by elementary and secondary groups, according to administrators.
The district has 123 drivers, though it had only 104 to start this school year in August, Salmons said. Under the consolidation plan, the district would need fewer drivers and would save money on bus maintenance, he said.
Northwest Arkansas' other large school districts already have adopted such a strategy, Salmons said.
On Friday, Bentonville Superintendent Debbie Jones sent a letter to parents informing them of the pending change in the transportation system.
"We have to evolve, as the other NWA school districts have, to provide reliable transportation for families," Jones wrote.
Salmons told the board the locations of the bus stops hadn't been decided. The district hasn't reached out to the owners of spaces that could make good bus stops, he said.
The School Board discussed the matter Thursday but didn't vote on it. It's unclear exactly when that vote could happen, but further discussion is expected at the board's next meeting Feb. 21.
Board members had numerous questions Thursday. Board President Kelly Carlson asked for he main drawbacks of the proposal.
There definitely are some, Salmons said, noting parents will have to get more involved in getting their kids to and from the bus stop.
"They're going to have to drive, walk, bike to this area. That's a big con. But when we look at the total picture, the pros outweigh the cons in my opinion," he said.
"This is a lot to take in," board member Jeremy Farmer said about the proposal. He added the thought of a child walking down the street with no shoulder to get to a bus stop is "a scary conversation."
Jennifer Faddis, another board member, followed up on that remark, saying she worries about what might happen with kids who live in rural areas and what roads they'd be walking along without sidewalks.
"And I'm not saying I'm opposed to doing this, because we got to do something. And this has a lot of pros. But that is my biggest concern," she said.
Carlson asked whether there had been any thought about a slow transition into this, rather than consolidating all the routes at once. Salmons said every transportation director he'd talked to gave him the same advice: "Pull that Band-Aid off" and go in all at once, he said.
Salmons said he has spoken with and gotten advice from Kevin Conkin, transportation director for the Springdale School District. Springdale -- the largest district in the state with about 21,800 students -- implemented route consolidation at the start of this school year and now runs 81 routes, down from as many as 100 routes five years ago.
Conkin, in response to questions submitted by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Friday, said Springdale has run every route every day on time, with the goal of clearing every building on the secondary side by 4:30 p.m. each day. If they clear the buildings by 4:30, they know all other routes are running on time.
"Having consistent bus routes allows our families to confidently plan their day, and it maintains a continuity of operation in the Springdale School District," Conkin said.
"The benefits are immeasurable, and we're still in the early stages of this complex process," he said.
The district's families have worked together to help make a complex system successful, Conkin said.
"Our transportation office worked on this project for two years and researched the most fair and equitable way to serve our students and their families," he said.
Another factor to consider is that the cost of school buses is on the rise, Salmons said.
In 2021, the Bentonville district bought 20 buses for $110,000 each. This year, prices appear to be about $154,000 per bus, Salmons said.
The School District has 157 buses, 28 of which were built in 2001 or earlier, according to Salmons.
Besides regular morning and afternoon bus routes, the district transportation department also handles field trips and shuttles. The shuttles provide transportation to places such as Northwest Technical Institute in Springdale and the Boys & Girls Club.
The district has 18,665 students. About 5,000 ride the bus in the morning and 8,000 ride the bus in the afternoon, according to district documents.
Second Shift Lead Mechanic Curtis Clark performs routine maintenance on a school bus, Friday, January 20, 2023 at the Bentonville Schools bus barn in Bentonville. The Bentonville School Board is scheduled to hold a work session Thursday with two topics on the agenda. One is “transportation sustainability.” The administration would like to review the growth of the transportation department and how to continue supporting the department with the district’s growth. Visit nwaonline.com/photos for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)By the numbers
For the month of December, the Bentonville School District transportation department recorded:
• 13,155 student riders each day, morning and afternoon routes combined
• 159,370 route miles driven
• 189 field trips (83 academic, 106 athletic)
• 262 bus repair orders
Source: Bentonville School District