By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
The Pulaski County Special School District is hiring up to 50 new bus drivers to comply with a court agreement on readjusting bus pickup and bell schedules for elementary schools.
The new bell schedules will start Monday.
Most PCSSD elementary schools will start school around 8:25 a.m. and end about 3:15 p.m., but the buses wouldn’t be picking up elementary students until around 4 or 4:15 p.m.
At most schools, the students will have choices to pass the time while waiting for the buses.
“Students will either be involved in tutoring, have homework help or be on the playground,” said Deb Roush, a spokeswoman for the district. Adults will supervise all three of the activities.
Roush said that as buses and drivers become available, the disrict will move the pickup times down to match the actual dismissal times.
“We hope to have all the bus times in line with the dismissal bell by the end of October,” Roush said.
The district, about a week before school, changed the bell schedule from what it had been the last few years to an earlier start time for elementary students (7:30 a.m.) and a later start time for secondary schools (8:30 a.m.). After parents complained loudly, the district reversed itself, making secondary schools start early and elementary school start later.
Then came the court agreement between the district and the teacher’s union to change the schedule one more time.
Superintendent Dr. Charles Hopson said, “Our limitation with our current transportation system is that the same bus and driver transport both the secondary and elementary students, and the window for our bell schedule is determined by the roughly 700 square miles the drivers must cover to get all students to school on time.”
Drivers will be paid $40 a day and be driving routes that are an hour to an hour and a half long.
Applicants must have a clean record, be at least 21 years old, have a commercial driver’s license and pass a Department of Transportation physical and a drug screening.
Those interested in driving a bus should call the district’s training office at 490-5715.
Parents, with questions about the new bell schedule or bus pickups, are encouraged to call the principal at their child’s school.
In a recent letter to parents, the superintendent said, “While I know I can never please everyone with decisions I make as an instructional leader and superintendent.
“I hope all of you realize it is never my intention to make your lives difficult as I seek to position this district to provide a world-class experience for every student.”
