Greater Jasper Schools: Corp. asks parents to be patient as bus routes are smoothed out

“The first day of school was ugly,” according to Greater Jasper Schools Superintendent Dr. Tracy Lorey in regards to to the new bus routes established this school year.

It wasn’t surprising to find several parents speaking to the Greater Jasper School Corporation board of Trustees at its regular meeting Monday night in regards to bus route issues.

Their complaints focused on the length of time some kids were spending on the buses. This bled over into issues with the earlier time their children were forced to get up in order to catch the bus as well as some pickup and dropoff issues.

This is the first semester for new bus routes created through a program called Versatran. The corporation purchased the software about three years ago but waited to put it into use when the contracted bus routes were up for rebidding. After the new routes were created with input from veteran bus drivers and a representative with the software vendor, contract drivers were given the opportunity to bid on the new routes.

During the meeting Monday, Dr. Lorey read a statement to the board saying that during a given school day they transport 2,366 students on school buses in 28 routes throughout all of the school district to and from five different school campuses.

Plus, the school system provides bus service for Holy Trinity schools.

Lorey stated, “We provide service to every corner and nook and cranny of the district.”

She acknowledged that there have been issues, but that they are seeing improvements just eight days into the school year. “The majority of our buses are done in about 50 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes,” Lorey said. “We do have a couple of rural routes that are really long because they reach to the farthest corners of our district’s boundaries.”

To alleviate some of the issues, the school corporation has asked parents who are able to do so, to personally bring their students to school to help reduce the load on the school buses.

The problem that this creates is that parents are bringing their children to school at about the same time every morning — just before 8 a.m. — and it is creating an additional traffic problem, mostly at Ireland Elementary.

Some parents report that even the school buses are getting to school late — a parent attending Monday’s meeting reported they had observed a bus arriving at Ireland at 8:05 a.m. They noted that their children would get in trouble if the parents brought their children to school at that time.

Elizabeth Kemp, Patty Ruhe and Jasen and Airen Springer spoke to the board about their displeasure with the amount of time that their children have to spend on the bus and at school. They explained that their children are away from home from between nine and 10 hours per day — some as much as 11 hours per day.

Ruhe reports that her Jasper Middle School student eats lunch at 10:30 a.m. and won’t get anything else to eat until arriving home at around 4:30 p.m.

School board President Nancy Habig asked Middle School Principal David Hubster to make a change so that students can get healthy snacks they need along with water before the school day ends.

The board was sympathetic to their cause and spoke in support of their concerns. Board President Nancy Habig and board member Bernie Vogler — a former bus driver — addressed the seriousness of the issues and asked the parents to be patient to allow time for the corporation to smooth out the new routes.

The board did pass a motion to make changes to two of the routes to help alleviate specific problems. One being the need for a shuttle bus and the other to reduce over-crowding on one of the buses.

The board heard updates from:

–Andy Noblitt, Athletic Director, who gave an update on the athletic system, saying that the new grass fields have worked out great so far at Alumni Stadium and the soccer field.

–Curriculum Director Kim Strobel told the board that the individual computing solution put into place is having a strong impact on student learning. She attended a French class using a digital text book and reports that engagement level and learning with the devices was very high.

–Scott Stenftenagel, Clerk of the Works, reported that the two roof projects — Ireland and at Jasper High School — are nearing completion with just minor items to be completed. He also reported that he is working with Gibraltar Designs on the addition of classroom space at Ireland Elementary. He noted that the expansion is designed to handle an additional 500 students, and Dr. Lorey acknowledged that they have already added 500 new students this year.

–Dr. Lorey announced that the school websites have been re-designed and that she is pleased with the new look. They can be seen here.