CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) — Christa Stotler’s 16-year-old son is a straight-A student at Northeast High School. He is in honors classes and marching band, and is vice president of his class. But since the beginning of the year, his clean conduct and attendance record have been marred by school bus delays.

On the first day of school in August, Stotler’s son was picked up at the bus stop almost an hour and a half late. Although things have improved since then, they remain a constant problem that Stotler’s son deals with, often causing him to arrive 15 to 30 minutes late for first period.

On Nov. 5, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board heard a progress report on the situation and what is being done to address it.

Late buses causing delays

He Clarksville-Montgomery County School System has been dealing with “growing pains” as it navigates a transportation staffing shortage, and students and their families are feeling the strain.

Three months into the 2024-25 school year, families like Stotler’s have noticed issues with the punctuality of bus pick-up and drop-off of students at school.

“He’s a weird kid,” Stotler told Clarksville Now about her son. “He actually likes school a lot. “He really enjoys it.”

Stotler and her husband have tried to travel to the northeast themselves in the morning to take their son to school. They usually manage to get you there on time, but sometimes morning traffic and congestion causes them to arrive five to ten minutes late.

Compared to bus tardies, Stotler’s son doesn’t miss as much time in class, but there’s one glaring problem: While bus tardies are excused, parental tardiness is not. Now, Stotler’s son faces arrest for his tardiness.

Bus driver shortage

CMCSS Chief Operating Officer Norm Brumblay explained to the board this week some of the causes of the bus delay problem and what they are doing to fix it.

“Do you remember in 2022 when we had about 50% capacity (school bus driver)? They were difficult days,” Brumblay told the board. He explained that, by 2023, They managed to reach between 65% and 70% of capacity, and for the 2024-25 school year, they started at 80% capacity.

But there are still 13 routes open and 232 drivers serving 32,600 students. Typically, with 4% of drivers calling per day, CMCSS is temporarily combining routes (double runs), which are buses that complete two separate assigned scheduled trips, with office staff or maintenance mechanics acting as temporary drivers.

“Sometimes this can result in schedule deviations, we understand that,” Brumblay said. “But we also believe this is preferable to pausing or eliminating the route entirely, which is what 25 percent of Tennessee school districts are currently doing due to staffing shortages.”

Ongoing hiring initiatives aim to reach the goal of more than 290 full-time drivers by 2025.

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When new bus drivers complete their training, they are assigned routes that reduce the number of open routes and double runs, according to CMCSS spokesperson Anthony Johnson. As more drivers are hired, the number of late buses will continue to reduce and substitute drivers will be ready in the event of driver absence.

Unfortunately, Johnson said, CMCSS must continue to conduct daily double runs until it is fully staffed. There are staff members in the buildings who are compensated for their additional duty of monitoring students before and after school.

The CMCSS Transportation Department sends daily notices to families through ParentSquare if buses are late or about other updates, such as route changes.

Excused or unexcused tardiness

Johnson told Clarksville Now that the CMCSS Student Code of Conduct includes a variety of consequences for excessive tardiness. However, the high school principal confirmed with administrators that they work with families who are affected by bus delays.

“For families facing challenges with transportation, we encourage you to contact school administration to discuss your concerns,” Johnson said. “Looking at sample data from a high school that has several late buses, there have been nine total referrals this school year for tardiness, and the majority occurred between classes and not in the morning.”

Johnson said schools will work with families on plans to help address tardiness and absenteeism. CMCSS provides an escalation chart to help families navigate the process if they feel there has not been a resolution at the school level.

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Solve problems to boost hiring

CMCSS, like other school districts across the country, has been facing workforce shortages for the past few years. The pandemic exacerbated the problem and the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years were the most difficult yet for CMCSS.

According to Johnson, one of the retention and recruitment challenges has been student behavior, and CMCSS has introduced student accountability measures and a Student Transportation Safety and Discipline coordinator. Those measures have helped address several problems, he said.

“CMCSS is actively hiring bus drivers,” Johnson said. “If you are looking for the opportunity to have a flexible schedule, great benefits, and still be home after school to care for your children, consider becoming a school bus driver.”

No experience necessary. Interested candidates can stop by CMCSS’s weekly hiring events, every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon, at the CMCSS Operations Complex: 2620 Madison St. For more information on job openings, visit cmcss.net/employment.

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