Updated at 4:10 p.m., July 25 with more information on how students will get to school
The St. Louis Public Schools system does not have enough bus drivers to transport students to school when classes resume on Aug. 19.
Most of the 14,000 students who get transportation to school will get there by school bus but some will travel by MetroBus, vendor operated minivans and small vehicles, according to a statement from district spokesperson George Sells.
The district lost its previous transportation provider in May, when the Missouri Central Bus Company terminated its contract more than a year early. The company’s action followed a work stoppage in March by dozens of bus drivers who protested after a noose appeared on a worker’s desk.
District officials cited a national driver shortage that led to months of route disruptions that prevented students from arriving to school on time.
In July, the School Board approved 19 new transportation providers.
When school starts next month, 1,000 high school students will use school-sanctioned MetroBus passes to get to class. Metro and school security officers will monitor student routes, district Transportation Director Toyin Akinola said at a School Board meeting on Tuesday.
“Safety is No. 1 in anything that we’re doing,” Akinola said. “We’ve identified areas of concern. … Metro safety officers will be scoping areas.”
The remaining students will ride in smaller vehicles operated by 18 vendors or volunteers.
Drivers will be equipped with identification cards and vehicle decals, Toyin said. The district also plans to equip vehicles with GPS tracking so parents can monitor where their children are.
School board member Natalie Vowell said she is wary of letting children ride with drivers who don't have a commercial driver's license — and concerned about security.
“I can order magnets that say SLPS on them and drive in my car and go pick up a small child,” Vowell said. “That level of safety makes me quite nervous.”
Drivers from private vendors don’t have to meet state licensing standards, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
District officials pursued alternate transportation methods last school year when some students could still take school buses. For routes without a driver, parents received gas reimbursement cards during summer school.
The school system will notify parents via email on Friday about how their children will get to school. District officials also will discuss their plans and take suggestions during a transportation forum at 6 p.m. Aug. 6 at Vashon High School.
“How comfortable do you all feel that we as a district feel prepared for this back-to-school season?” board member Antoinette Cousins asked district officials.
Chief Operations Officer Square Waston said his confidence in the emergency plan is 6.5 on a scale of one to 10.
“As we kind of get closer to the finish line … I think we’ll be around eight or nine,” Watson said.
In other business, school board members said they plan to vote on a tax hike for district residents during their meeting in August.
The increase of 20 cents per $100 of assessed property value doesn’t require voter approval since the district voluntarily reduced the rate by that amount in 2020 and will remain under the maximum tax levy. Charging $4.25 per $100 of assessed value would bring in an additional $6 million annually.
The district would still face a $35 million operating deficit for the 2024-25 school year, according to the district budget.
Corrections: An earlier version of this story misstated how most St. Louis Public School System students will get to school next month and whether there are enough drivers. Most students will arrive by school bus, but some will travel by MetroBus and other vehicles. The district also has drivers for yellow school buses through First Student, one of 19 transportation providers approved in July.
