One week before the start of the new school year, St. Louis Public School District officials say transportation company First Student has agreed to provide 20 additional buses and drivers for the incoming school year.
“With this increase, we will transition some students to more traditional yellow buses rather than the alternative form of transportation they have previously been assigned,” said SLPS acting Superintendent Millicent Borishade. She is serving in the role after the Board of Education voted in July to place Superintendent Keisha Scarlett on a temporary leave of absence, pending an outside investigation into her hiring practices.
Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick is also conducting his own financial and operations investigation of the school district, beginning Tuesday.
In July, the school board approved over a dozen new transportation providers after the previous vendor, Missouri School Bus Co., ended its contract with the district. SLPS has scrambled to find adequate transportation for 14,000 students. Before First Student recently provided extra buses, the district announced plans in late July to transport kids to school through various school bus vendors, MetroBus, vendor-operated minivans and small vehicles.
Routing specialists are reassigning students and working to notify parents, Borishade said, and the district will continue to make adjustments as more buses become available.
In a statement from various labor unions representing SLPS employees, they said they want to send a clear message to parents and guardians that they are prepared to have a successful school year.
The St. Louis Association of School Administrators Local 44, AFL-CIO; American Federation of Teachers Local 420, AFL-CIO; LiUNA Laborers’ Union Local 42; Missouri National Education Association; and the SEIU Local 1 Missouri Division are among the unions represented.
“The principals, the teachers, the safety officers, the skilled trades, the custodians, the nurses, the food service workers are all ready for you to come back,” said Byron Clemens, a spokesperson for the American Federation of Teachers Local 420. “We’re ready for Day 1.”
Union representatives said that they support the pending investigation of Scarlett and the school district, and that their collective bargaining agreements remain intact.
“We believe that every person in this nation deserves a right to due process, 'a day in court,’ including a superintendent and school board members,” the joint statement reads. “None of these investigations or audits should impact day-to-day operations of the district as they do not impact any agreements between our unions and management.”
SLPS classes will resume on Aug. 19. Borishade encouraged parents to visit the school district’s FAQ page to leave questions and concerns, and for updates on transportation.
“We are making a variety of changes to the system, and these queries may help us identify areas that need extra attention,” Borishade said. “As always, we thank our families for their support as we go through this process.”
