Some transportation issues emerged during Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.’s first day Thursday, leading some parents to complain on social media they could not find route maps and schedules, and had trouble reaching the transportation department.
“So far, the start of this year has been similar to others,” said BCSC Director of Operations Brett Boezeman. “This summer, we did have some vendor-related routing software challenges which we are overcoming.”
The department has three routers who are actively updating bus routes and communicating with parents and schools, as well as three individuals who are monitoring phones.
Boezeman added that parents can also get many of their questions answered by calling their school buildings, which have access to bus route information.
As of early Thursday afternoon, he reported that the first day of school was going “very smoothly.” He also noted that the back-to-school season brings “lots of excitement and work” for transportation staff.
“Despite everyone’s best efforts to have bus routes ready for more than 8,000 riders early in the summer, there are always changes that occur on our 112 bus routes,” he said. “Some of those changes include address changes, new enrollments, parent requests which change (from being a non-rider to a rider), multiple systems relying on each other to share correct data, etc.”
Boezeman also asked families for patience during the first days of school, as routes are still being settled. Students may, for instance, be dropped off later than stated on their route sheet. Both the department and schools have the ability to message individual parents or an entire bus route to announce delays or changes.
According to Superintendent Jim Roberts, the start of a new school year often looks different from the rest of the year, in terms of transportation, as more parents may be dropping off their kids by car and trying to make a decision on whether or not to bus.
He also noted that BCSC’s different educational pathways can sometimes mean that transportation routes become complicated.
“It is always a work in progress,” said Roberts. “We cover thousands of miles a day across the county to get kids in. It, by far, is the biggest logistical challenge we have heading into a school year, every year.”
