(La Porte, IN) - Solving problems with school bus transportation is a top priority in La Porte right now as, like many communities nationwide, the community is struggling with a bus driver shortage.

 

Interim Superintendent Dr. Peggy Hinckley said she wants a solution to delays and other problems created by a lack of bus drivers by the start of school in the fall. She believes part of the answer is going from two to three student pick-up and drop-off times, with schools opening and closing at different times to account for the change.

 

Hinckley proposed that smaller vehicles may also have to be added to run routes in rural outlining areas of the district as a time saver for the buses. She explained that action on some sort of solution is required now because the number of bus driver applicants from year to year is not going back up.

 

“We’re going to have to figure this out. I think it’s going to be a combination of three-tiered and some individuals' vehicles. We’ll figure it out but we have to solve this,” she said.

 

Hinckley said the bus driver shortage is even more challenging here because of La Porte being the second-largest school district in the state by land mass. She said solving the transportation issue will give parents peace of mind their child is not going to be late for school or even left behind at a bus stop and will help with efforts to increase enrollment.