An ongoing bus driver storage is forcing Cleveland City Schools to consider making some adjustments to their school start times for the 22-23 school year.
The school district is short at least eight bus drivers, making it hard for them to get kids to school on time or even to school at all.
To ensure students make it to Cleveland City Schools on time next school year, the Board of Education sent out a survey to parents with three options with a mix of different start times.
Some schools could start as early as 7:15 a.m. or as late as 9:15 a.m.
Hal Taylor, the Director of Operations for the district said the current start time won't work with the bus driver shortage.
"We are on a two-tier system, which means we have two start times between all of our schools and they are very close together. What that does is limit the amount of time you have to pick up children and the number of routes you can run," Taylor said.
He said the district has never had this big of a problem getting kids to school.
"With the state laws changed and the federal laws changed last year, it just made it more difficult to find drivers. Age limits have been changed, so all the way around we didn't have these problems 10 years ago that we have today," Taylor said.
Cleveland City Schools Parent Renee Hunt drives her kids to school.
She understands that changes have to be made, but said it could make it harder for her to get her kids to the school on time.
"Personally, I prefer the third option. I am going to have one kid in elementary school and one kid in middle school. I believe it was the second option that had both of them starting school at the same time which would be practically impossible for me to get both there," Hunt said.
Option one offered a school start time at 7:15, Hunt said that is too early for elementary school students to be outside at a bus stop.
Taylor said regardless on what option is chosen, it is going to affect everybody.
"I think what we have to do is look at our neighbors and look at what is best overall for all our children. I think that is really what I comes down too, what affects all of our children in the systems and helps all of them get to school," Taylor said.
Staff and families of Cleveland City Schools students should receive an email with a survey to provide feedback on the options. This survey will be open for feedback until Wednesday, March 22.Â
Read more about the proposed changes on their website here.Â
