317 students remain without transportation

The Rochester City School District, which contracts with school bus companies to transport students, has been impacted by a bus driver shortage: an issue that’s been seen across the country.

According to Superintendent Dr. Lesli Myers-Small, 317 students at more than a dozen schools do not have transportation right now.

Indeed, three additional drivers resigned Wednesday, she said.

“When you think about the fact that the Rochester City School District transports over 31,000 students, to have 317 as of right now – a little after 1 o’clock – that’s really not a bad situation. That does not take away from the fact that these 317 scholars do not have transportation,” she said.

The extent of RCSD’s crisis was revealed late last week by school board member Beatriz LeBron on her Facebook page.

The school board delayed reopening by one day to give the district more time to figure things out.

According to RCSD, drivers transport 31,000 students in public, private and parochial, charter, urban/suburban, and outside special education agencies in more than 110 different locations.

The board of commissioners for the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority approved altering its routes so it could shuttle about 3,500 students at five high schools. That’s in addition to the six high schools it agreed to service in June.

Tuesday night the school board met, during which it was revealed that nine additional bus drivers had resigned from the companies that service RCSD.

According to Myers-Small, Tuesday the resignations now leave the district with 36 unassigned routes and will impact an additional 174 students with disabilities.

According to the district, the contract with RGRTA is also expected to be finalized by Wednesday.