Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Iranetta Wright says increasing the distance students have to walk from their front door to the bus stop, combined with the upcoming change in school start times, will get more students to school on time and save the district nearly 50 buses next school year.
At Monday night's meeting, the proposed plan was well-received by board members who spent much of this school year searching for solutions to the district's long-running transportation issues.
Wright presented data showing CPS students walk about 300 yards to stops, on average. Under the new plan, non-special needs students in 4th grade or higher would walk at least a quarter mile to reach the bus, but none would have to walk more than a half mile. Students in kindergarten through 3rd grade would not have to walk more than a quarter mile.
The plan suggests increasing the walk-to-stop distance will allow for consolidated routes and fewer stops, reducing the number of buses and drivers needed to get students to school on time.
The superintendent says the change in start times would decrease the amount of buses needed by almost 40, and cutting stops reduces it by 10 more.
While board members acknowledge the change may be upsetting, several say it's still the right thing to do to ease the stress put on the district's transportation department caused by the high volume of students and lack of bus drivers.
"We cannot do any of the goals that we have if we cannot get kids to school," Board President Ben Lindy said. "We have to do everything we can to get them to school on time. I want us to be ready for whatever decision we make, [for] some pushback."
Wright says the plan would not force students who already walk close to half a mile to their bus stops to travel any further, and would only require some students to walk further than they did this school year.
A transportation plan for the 2023-2024 school year will be finalized later this summer, according to the superintendent.
