Classes still off early next week in Kentucky's largest school district due to bus schedule mess
Jefferson County Public Schools school buses packed with students makes their way through the Detrick Bus Compound on the first day of school Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. Kentucky’s largest school system has cancelled the second and third day of school after a disastrous overhaul of the transportation system that left some children on buses until almost 10 p.m. on opening day. Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Marty Pollio calls it a “transportation disaster” in a video posted on social media. Credit: AP/Jeff Faughender
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville schools will remain closed early next week to allow for more time to fix bus routes whose redesign left some children at home on the first school day this year and others getting home hours late.
The Jefferson County Public Schools had already canceled classes Thursday and Friday in response to Wednesday's route fiasco. Now there will be no school Monday and Tuesday “as we continue to work on short and long-term changes to ensure the reliability of our bus services.” the district said Saturday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Kentucky’s largest district, with 96,000 students, had retooled its bus system through a Massachusetts-based consulting company that uses computer algorithms to map out courses and stops. It was a response to a chronic bus driver shortage. The redesigned plan reduced the number of routes.
Wednesday's mess resulted in hungry and tired children, angry parents and exasperated politicians.
An apologetic Superintendent Marty Pollio had signaled Friday that classes may have to be delayed into next week to fix the problems. He said the district should have anticipated the new plan didn’t leave enough time for buses to get from stop to stop and transport its 65,000 riders.
Some state lawmakers are now calling on evaluating whether the district should be split up.
The school system said Saturday that all extracurricular activities, including athletics, would continue as planned Monday and Tuesday.
Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Marty Pollio waits at the Detrick Bus Compound on the first day of school on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023 in Louisville, Ky. An overly-ambitious redesign of bus routes for Louisville's school district turned into a logistical meltdown on the first day of classes, forcing schools to close as administrators said Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 that students may have to stay home into part of next week until the mess is untangled. Credit: AP/Jeff Faughender
Many other districts across the country also are experiencing bus driver shortages.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 15: LI's top basketball players On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra and Matt Lindsay take a look top boys and girls basketball players on Long Island.
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