Schools hoping for better start for CPS bus program

After two consecutive rocky starts plagued by late arrivals, seating shortages and inconsistent communication, Canton School Superintendent Derek Folan is determined to have a much smoother start to the school year for the bus transportation program across all grade levels and routes heading into 2024-25.

“We are committed to a better bus transportation experience this year and are using the lessons learned from the last two years to improve,” said Folan. “We know it’s been a challenging start the last two years. We are hopeful this year will be better.”

During the first few weeks of the last school year and especially the one prior to that, the issues with new bus operator First Student Inc. became so pronounced that administrators considered drastic measures — including at one point the possible early termination of its contract — while also publicly chiding First Student for what they deemed were “unacceptable” standards of service.

But after hiring a transportation consultant and taking concrete steps last year to address some of the bigger concerns, school officials are hopeful that they can hit the ground running this year.

Folan said school leaders are taking the problem-solving strategies that helped “right the ship” in September and October and employing them in the summer months to ensure everyone is ready come August 28.

“We took the feedback to heart,” he said. “We owe it to our school community to provide a stronger level of service, and we told First Student that we need a higher level of performance.”

Some of the added steps include the rollout of a new text message notification system, conducting practice runs on the bus routes during the summer, and closing late registrations until after October 1.

Brian Lynch, Canton Public Schools’ new assistant superintendent of finance and operations, has facilitated several in-person meetings with First Student representatives, CPS Transportation Coordinator Brett McCloud and Folan.

During those discussions, Folan said the group first tackled communication gaps, especially involving delays. “We set a protocol and expectation for communication with school officials so we can communicate faster with families,” he said. “The First Student App and our new text messaging system will be employed as well.”

Folan encourages all parents of bus riders to install the app on their phones so they can track their child’s bus and be alerted if there is a delay. Instructions have been posted on the CPS transportation page at cantonma.org.

The text message system, which is fully integrated with the district’s new student information system (PowerSchool), is now live and will enable school administrators to communicate short notices and reminders to families.

“For bus transportation, it will be a great way to connect with families quickly if there is an issue with a bus,” said Folan.

Ridership & Registration

Despite the busing challenges of the past few years, Canton’s total ridership has remained steady, with nearly identical numbers between this year and last year (2,160 compared to 2,169). The total fleet for the district will include 20 buses — 19 owned by First Student and one owned by CPS.

Folan is hopeful that the curbing of rolling registration well into the summer will ease some of the problems. “We started early with bus transportation sign-up, and we sent several additional reminders before we set the cut-off and final call in July,” he said. “We needed to secure a firm number of ridership to accurately design routes, pickup stops, and bus assignments. We had rolling registrations in the past and we simply can’t do that anymore.”

Folan said at this point, anyone who has not signed up for busing will be put on a waitlist until October 1. Those who are registered for bus service will be issued a temporary, electronic pass prior to the start of school, and Folan said school staff will be checking bus passes immediately and closely. If a student does not have a bus pass, then they will not be able to ride the bus, he said.

If parents have not received their child’s bus information and temporary pass by tomorrow, August 23, then they should alert the CPS transportation office. Permanent bus passes, along with plastic tag holders, will be distributed to students in school by the end of September.

Folan said bus route design is critical. “We are working collaboratively with First Student to design the routes, and we are having Canton residents and employees review them,” he said. “This is a new element that helped us in September and October of last year. We are making our bus routes more efficient by developing neighborhood stops where it is safe to do so. We are monitoring the length of time for each run.”

Folan added that an administrative assistant in the Business Office has been working closely with McCloud to ensure that all transportation-related emails and calls are addressed in a timely manner. This extra level of support paid dividends last year, he said.

Lynch is also instituting quality-control checks for the GPS systems and cameras in the buses to ensure that they are working properly.

Folan said school administrators will continue to meet monthly with First Student representatives to review performance and service delivery.

“Bus transportation is always tough at the start of the year — even in a good year,” he said. “So, we appreciate everyone’s patience as we iron things out and problem solve. I’m proud that our team has been very proactive and we have taken these many steps to improve.”

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Posted by Mike Berger on Aug 22 2024. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.