Bussing delays and building maintenance woes continue at some Durham Public Schools in the new school year — but the district says significant progress has been made on both counts.
At the first school board meeting of the year Thursday, Little River Elementary teacher Katie McGonnell said classrooms at her school remain plagued with mold.
“Building services knew that the AC was broken the entire month of July…and yet nothing was done,” she said before setting a package of soap bars on the lectern with a pointed thump.
“Tonight, I’m gifting each of you a bar of soap,” she said. “Wash away the politics, the social media spin, the half-truths. Our children deserve better.”
Yet Lori Blake-Reid, the district’s executive director of construction and capital planning, countered that DPS has taken significant steps to improve building conditions for the year ahead. That includes completing 800 work orders at the district’s 61 campuses, Blake-Reid said, and beginning preventative maintenance on HVAC systems.
With schools ranging from three to 106 years of age, aging HVAC systems are prevalent, Black-Reid explained.
Durham has received $6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for preventative maintenance on aged HVAC systems. The funds are being used for improvements to chillers, boilers and air handling units, among other things, Blake-Reid said.
Building services also is working with the capital planning team to develop a facilities maintenance plan for district buildings.
“We promise to remain strategic, we promise to be diligent, and we promise to be intentional in providing quality school buildings district-wide,” Blake-Reid said.
Incentives draw more bus drivers
Meanwhile, newly appointed Executive Director of Auxiliary Services Anthony White said incentives and expanded hiring efforts have helped DPS retain and recruit more bus drivers.
“The start of the school year has gone…it’s going well,” White said, a note of cautious optimism in his voice.
Last fall, the district faced a shortage of 30 bus drivers, severely disrupting regular schooling and forcing parents to make alternative arrangements for their children. More than half of the district’s students — some 18,000 students — ride the school bus.
Since January 25, DPS has hired 33 bus drivers and four van drivers, White said. The district is also offering a $200 monthly supplement and a $150 monthly attendance bonus to bus drivers this academic year.
Further incentives include two new designated comfort areas where bus drivers can rest between routes.
Additionally, in an effort to address language barriers between bus drivers, students, and their families, DPS has partnered with Durham Technical Community College to provide bus drivers with free Spanish classes. The inaugural course is slated to begin in January with 20 participating drivers.
“We often provide professional development for our teachers, but what about professional development for our drivers?” White said.
The changes appear to have partly eased the busing crisis.
“Last year this time, I received a report [saying that] we had about 4,000 students we were trying to process [into our bus routes],” superintendent Anthony S. Lewis recalled, clasping his hands. “I think we’re down to around five––”
White raised his right hand to indicate the number four.
“––four hundred [students] now, okay,” Lewis said, flashing a smile.
Still, glitches linger in the DPS busing system.
Board member Joy Harrell Goff noted that DPS has received reports this fall of students “getting out of school and having to wait outside for 40 minutes or more” before buses depart. Parents have also complained about long bus rides and buses being late in arriving at school.
White attributed some delays to “double loads.” Some drivers are transporting students in two batches, doubling back after transporting the first round of students to pick up a second round of students. He reiterated that DPS was in the process of “increasing staff and…efficiency.”
Also, transportation requests for students are processed through Infinite Campus, which recently replaced the student information system Powerschool. Parents are still adjusting to the new system, he said, and inaccurate inputs can cause some students to be missed.
“Our goal is to have a bus at school when the bell rings at every level,” said Kenneth Barnes, the district’s chief operating officer. “And so when we adjust our routes after the tenth day, I think you will see less and less kids waiting for an extended time after school.”
