SARATOGA SPRINGS — A six-month study of the Saratoga Springs transportation department suggested that district schools should change their schedules to help ease problems caused by the ongoing bus driver shortage. The altered start and end times would be the result of transitioning the district from a two-tier busing system to a three-tiered one.
In a presentation delivered at the December 12 Board of Education meeting, proposed schedule changes included:
High School students arriving 15 minutes earlier and departing 20 minutes earlier, with a start time of 7:30 a.m.
Maple Avenue Middle School students arriving 45 minutes later and departing 40 minutes later, with a start time of 8:30 a.m.
Caroline Street and Division Street Elementary students arriving 20 minutes earlier and departing 20 minutes earlier, with a start time of 8:50 a.m.
Dorothy Nolan, Lake Avenue, Geyser Road, and Greenfield Elementary students arriving 40 minutes later and departing 40 minutes later, with a start time of 9:50 a.m.
“This is the best scenario that we’ve found thus far,” said Paul Overbaugh, who helped conduct the study and is the former state director of pupil transportation for the New York State Education Department. In addition to reducing the amount of time students spend on buses, Overbaugh also said the proposed changes could attract more drivers, in part because they would have more control in choosing the age groups of students they transport.
Transitioning the district to a three-tiered busing system could prevent cancellations such as the ones that occurred on November 6, when the district alerted parents that “due to the school bus driver shortage and employee illness,” buses 461 and 466 had both been canceled, along with all after-school late buses.
“There is a growing frustration amongst our community that when we’re cancelling bus routes regularly now and we’re not meeting the needs of our program…it’s our responsibility to consider change,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Patton.
None of the proposed schedule changes are imminent. If the changes were to go into effect, it would happen around September 2025. Patton called the study a “starting point” for conversations with the community. “This is one solution,” Patton said. “There may be other solutions out there that we haven’t even explored yet.”
A number of education board members pushed back strongly against the proposed changes.
“I’m concerned about the later start for those three elementary schools,” said Trustee Beth Braxton. “It can be really challenging as a working parent to figure that out, early childcare.”
Trustee Dr. Connie Woytowich agreed. “It’s very hard to be a working family with that kind of schedule,” she said.
“Families, including mine, are struggling with the 9:10 start time already,” said Trustee Natalya Lakhtakia. “I’m curious about how families are going to manage with a 9:50 start time. How will a person be able to have a job?…The idea of moving the elementary school [start time] later, it makes me concerned that we as a board are going to come across as not really caring whether adults in the home can work or not.”
Board Vice President Tony Krackeler was also concerned about the earlier start time for high school students. “Studies have shown that we’re already taxing kids too much in that area…in terms of getting them to school that early,” he said.
The district has been contending with logistical challenges in its transportation department for several years. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the district had 85 drivers. It now has 69 drivers who are tasked with covering 71 routes across 112 square miles. The district has been engaged in driver recruitment efforts, and offers to pay trainees $20 an hour to become certified drivers. But “even with those efforts in place, driver shortages continue to be a problem,” Patton said.
Despite the ongoing issues, the district cut two full-time transportation department positions earlier this year as part of its 2024-2025 budget. The positions included a dispatcher and mechanic, both of whom sometimes served as substitute bus drivers when necessary.
At an April 25 budget adoption meeting, bus dispatcher Dean Musgrove expressed his opposition to the cuts. “It’s really going to do a lot of damage to our department and I don’t think you realize the extent of it,” Musgrove warned.
Bus driver shortages have been an issue both locally and across the country. Data from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) indicates that from September 2019 to September 2023, there was a 15.1% decrease in the total number of K-12 bus drivers nationwide. Several factors have contributed to the shortage, including low wages. According to the EPI, school bus driver wages are significantly lower than most other workers. Drivers earned an average of $20 per hour in 2022, which is nearly 17% less than the median wage for all workers. Drivers only work an average of around 32 hours per week, which means their weekly wages are also below average. Many drivers also don’t work during summers, which further decreases their yearly income.
According to an active job posting, the Saratoga Springs school district is offering prospective bus drivers $22.15 per hour, which is below the median wage for all workers in the economy ($24.04), according to data from 2022. The district also has a School Bus Assistant position open that pays $17.09 per hour.
At the board meeting, Overbaugh pushed back against the idea that higher wages would solve the problem. “If someone was going to be motivated by a salary increase, it’s only going to be temporary,” he said. “I mean, it helps, don’t get me wrong…but it’s not going to be the end all, be all. Really there needs to be a paradigm shift in our communities to want to do something for the good of our district.”
Krackeler said he respectfully disagreed with Overbaugh. “If we’re not paying enough, we ought to pay more. More money will work better than platitudes about getting butts in the seat, I think.”
