Most St. Louis Public Schools students are getting to and from school on time, even as the district continues to rely on patchwork of over 19 transportation vendors, a top administrator told members of the school board on Tuesday.
Chief Operations Officer Square Watson said about 85% of students were getting to and from school on time. He said that’s down slightly compared to last year’s rate in October when roughly 90% of students arrived and departed school on time. It remains unclear whether students are arriving on time because of the district’s transportation or if parents have found other ways to get them to school.
The district is relying on the patchwork system because its primary school bus provider ended its contract with the district in the spring.
But its efforts to address ongoing transportation issues could be hampered by the departure of transportation director Toyin Akinola, who announced that she plans to retire on Oct. 31. The district has not named her replacement.
Watson said that over 9,000 students are using traditional yellow buses while over 2,500 students are using alternative private vendors, which include vans and cabs. There are also 1,230 students using the MetroBus while over 3,300 students walk to school — so long as they are within a mile of the school they attend. About 750 students have opted out of the district-provided transportation services, which helps the district plan better bus routes, Watson said.
Some parents have complained that their children are arriving late to school and that some vendors are running red lights or have expired license plates.
A speaker at Tuesday’s meeting who identified himself as a private van driver for the district said he and other drivers had not yet been paid by the district.
“We have people who have been working for 40 days and still haven’t been paid yet,” Gregory Towsend said.
Neither district leaders nor school board members addressed his comments.
Watson said district officials are already planning for next year to ensure there is sufficient transportation by the start of the school. Those plans include 30 new electric buses added to its fleet by the start of next school year. The district also plans to ask parents to opt into school transportation when they register their children for school.
But he said the district still plans to use multiple vendors next year to get students to and from school.
