CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) — Christa Stotler’s 16-year-old son is an all-A’s student at Northeast High School. He’s in honor classes and marching band, and he’s vice president of his class. But since the start of the year, his clean conduct and attendance record have been tarnished by school bus delays.
On the first day of school in August, Stotler’s son was picked up from the bus stop nearly an hour and a half late. Though things have improved since then, they are still a consistent issue that Stotler’s son deals with, often causing him to show up to first period 15 to 30 minutes late.
On Nov. 5, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board heard a progress report on the situation, and what’s being done to address it.
Delayed buses causing tardies
The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System has been dealing with “growing pains” as they navigate a transportation staffing shortage, and students and their families are feeling the pressure.
Three months into the 2024-25 school year, families like Stotler’s have noticed issues with the timeliness of bus pick-ups and dropping off students at school.
“He’s a weird kid,” Stotler told Clarksville Now about her son. “He actually really likes school. He really enjoys it.”
Stotler and her husband have tried to make the morning commute to Northeast to take their son to school themselves. Usually, they are able to get him there on time, but sometimes, morning traffic and congestion cause them to be five to 10 minutes late.
In comparison to the bus tardies, Stotler’s son isn’t missing as much classroom time, but there is one glaring issue: While bus tardies are excused, parent drop-off tardies are not. Now, Stotler’s son is facing detention for his tardies.
Bus driver shortages
CMCSS Chief Operations Officer Norm Brumblay this week explained to the board some of the causes of the bus delay problem and what they’re doing to address it.
“You remember in 2022 when we were around 50% (school bus driver) capacity? Those were tough days,” Brumblay told the board. He explained that, by 2023, they managed to reach between 65% and 70% capacity, and by the 2024-25 school year, they began at 80% capacity.
But there are still 13 open routes and 232 drivers servicing 32,600 students. With typically 4% of drivers calling out a day, CMCSS is temporarily combining routes (double runs) which are buses that complete two assigned separate scheduled trips, with office staff or maintenance mechanics serving as temporary drivers.
“These may, occasionally, 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 the school districts in Tennessee currently do due to staffing shortages.”
Ongoing recruitment initiatives aim to achieve a goal of over 290 full-time drivers in 2025.
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When new bus drivers complete training, they are assigned to routes that chip away at the number of uncovered routes and double-runs, according to CMCSS spokesman Anthony Johnson. As more drivers are hired, the number of late buses will continue to be reduced with substitute drivers at the ready in case of driver absences.
Unfortunately, Johnson said, CMCSS must continue running daily double runs until they are fully staffed. There are staff members at buildings who are compensated for their extra duty to monitor students before and after school.
The CMCSS Transportation Department sends daily notices to families via ParentSquare if buses are running late, or on other updates such as route changes.
Excused vs. unexcused tardies
Johnson told Clarksville Now the CMCSS Student Code of Conduct includes a range of consequences for excessive tardies. However, the director of high schools confirmed with administrators that they work with families who are impacted by late buses.
“For families who are facing challenges with transportation, we encourage them to reach out to school administration to discuss their concerns,” Johnson said. “In looking at sample data from one high school that has several late buses, there have been nine total referrals this school year for tardies, with the majority happening between classes and not in the morning.”
Johnson said schools will work with families on plans to help address tardies 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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Fixing issues to boost hiring
CMCSS, like other school districts across the nation, has been navigating 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 steps have helped address several issues, he said.
“CMCSS is actively hiring bus drivers,” Johnson said. “If you are looking for an opportunity to have a flexible schedule, excellent benefits, and still be home after school for your kids, consider becoming a school bus driver.”
No experience is needed. 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, go to cmcss.net/employment.
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