Current:Home > MarketsSchool board postpones vote on new busing plan after audit on route change disaster -FutureWise Finance
School board postpones vote on new busing plan after audit on route change disaster
View
Date:2025-04-14 12:25:25
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Education officials in Kentucky’s largest city delayed voting on a new busing plan after parental opposition and a recommendation to wait from a company that audited the district’s disastrous transportation changes to routes this year.
The plan recommended by Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Marty Pollio at Tuesday night’s meeting would have cut back on buses and eliminated transportation for 16,000 students in Louisville as a way to make up for driver shortages and bus delays, news outlets reported.
It came on the same night a firm that audited what went wrong with the district’s current busing plan addressed the board about its report, which was made public Monday.
The redesign of bus routes in the current school year turned into a logistical meltdown on the first day of classes in August, leaving some students on buses until nearly 10 p.m. That led officials to close schools until the mess was untangled the following week. The district used a Massachusetts-based consulting company that uses computer algorithms to map out courses and stops to reduce the number of routes in response to the chronic bus driver shortage.
An audit of those changes done by Prismatic Services found that administrators should have communicated more with transportation officials as they worked to simultaneously implement a new student assignment plan, a new transportation system and a new bell schedule. The 248-page report also found several flaws with the routes established by the consulting firm. It said transportation and school leadership tried to warn administrators.
Prismatic Services founder Tatia Prieto told board members while answering questions at Tuesday’s meeting that she recommended not making an immediate decision on major transportation changes for next year.
“I do think the decision before you tonight ... is short on details I would want to know the answer to,” Prieto told board members.
Board Chair Corrie Shull said postponing the decision would give board members time to “digest” the audit report and see responses to a survey the district sent to families seeking feedback about the proposed changes.
Superintendent Marty Pollio said he agreed with that decision.
“A lot of this was new to us tonight, too,” Pollio said of Prieto’s comments during her presentation. “We had materials, but some of the stuff was new from Dr. Prieto’s perspective. I think it would be best for everyone to table the discussion.”
veryGood! (6972)
Related
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Who is being targeted most by sextortion on social media? The answer may surprise you
- Wildfire prompts evacuation orders for rural community in northern California
- A nonprofit got jobs for disabled workers in California prisons. A union dispute could end them
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Is potato salad healthy? Not exactly. Here's how to make it better for you.
- Missouri, Utah, Nebraska slammed by DOJ for segregating adults with disabilities
- Perkins is overhauling its 300 restaurants. Here's the new look and menu.
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Panthers vs. Oilers Game 7 highlights: Florida wins first Stanley Cup title
Ranking
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Don't Miss GAP's Limited-Time Extra 50% Off Sale: $15 Sweaters, $17 Cargos & More
- Detroit plans to rein in solar power on vacant lots throughout the city
- Police ask Texas prosecutors to treat attempted drowning of 3-year-old child as a hate crime
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Sen. Bob Menendez's Egypt trip planning got weird, staffer recalls at bribery trial
- 3,500 dog treat packages recalled over possible metal contamination, safety concerns
- Princess Anne has been hospitalized after an accident thought to involve a horse
Recommendation
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
Chicago woman missing in Bahamas after going for yoga certification retreat, police say
Twisted Sister's Dee Snider reveals how their hit song helped him amid bankruptcy
Cliffhanger Virginia race between Good and Trump-backed challenger is too close to call
Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
Dave Grohl takes aim at Taylor Swift: 'We actually play live'
Gena Rowlands has Alzheimer’s, her son Nick Cassavetes says
Stock market today: Asian stocks follow Wall Street rise, but Nvidia tumbles again as AI mania cools