Jacksonville School District 117’s board is hoping to take a proactive step in addressing the school bus driver shortage by buying smaller passenger vehicles that will help lighten the reliance on bus drivers.
The board voted during its Wednesday meeting to spend up to $120,000 to buy two 10-passenger-or-less vehicles that would allow for transportation to and from events.
Superintendent Steve Ptacek said vehicles that hold 10 passengers or less can be used to transport students to events but only require a standard driver’s license.
“There is a shortage throughout the state and we have to think outside the box,” Ptacek said.
The plan is to buy the vehicles for use in transporting smaller groups to sporting events, which would free up bus drivers in the afternoons and prevent the cancellation of events.
“We’ve had several times — this fall, especially — where we’ve had to cancel or postpone events because we didn’t have a bus driver,” Ptacek said. “This will give us another option.”
The vehicles also could be used to transport students to school without requiring a full commercial driver’s license. The driver would require a bus driver’s permit to transport students to school but wouldn’t need the higher classification.
“It could open it up for more people to provide transportation,” Ptacek said.
The board also discussed plans for how to spend the district’s ESSER funds — money given to the district for projects to address health and safety and education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funds have to be spent on specific types of projects, such as health or education-improvement projects.
The district has about $4 million to fund various projects around the district. That is in addition to projects already being planned, including the roughly $3.5 million construction project at Washington Elementary School and $1.5 million in construction at Jacksonville High School.
Some of the projects that will be focused on include improving air quality, including replacing old carpet in several of the schools and looking at HVAC systems.
Another option is looking at playgrounds.
Some schools have had playgrounds approved under the grant as outdoor learning spaces, Ptacek said.
“These spaces give children the opportunity to get outside, take off their masks and spread out,” he said. “Those may be an option for us to look at.”
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October 22, 2021 at 12:47PM
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Jacksonville schools looking at bus alternative - Jacksonville Journal-Courier
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