The Williamson County School district is implementing a pilot program to attract more bus drivers by reducing the number of stops. The program will create “hubs” for student pick up and drop off in designated areas, with parents responsible for getting their children to and from the hubs. The school board will decide on the program’s location, and community feedback is encouraged. A transportation plan based on the pilot’s results will be presented to the school board in May 2024. Gabrielle Chenault,Nicole Young reported
The Williamson County School District Launches Pilot Program to Address Bus Driver Shortage
The Williamson County School district is implementing a pilot program in order to attract more bus drivers to the area. This initiative comes in response to the ongoing shortage of bus drivers in the district. Jason Golden, the Director of Schools, emphasized the necessity of this program during a community meeting held at Nolensville Elementary last week.
Golden stated, “We are constantly working on recruiting, but frankly, the pool is just shallow.” To gather community input, three meetings have been conducted in Nolensville, Franklin, and Spring Hill.
The Williamson County School board will convene on Thursday to select the area that will host the pilot program. Golden assured parents that the board’s decision will be posted on the school’s website after the meeting. The pilot is scheduled to start on January 3rd.
Under this pilot program, designated “hubs” will be created for student pick up and drop off. These hubs, situated in what the district refers to as “parent responsibility zones,” aim to reduce the number of stops within subdivisions. Possible hub sites include neighborhood pools, gazebos, and playgrounds.
Students residing within a 1-2 mile radius of a hub site will be picked up and dropped off there instead of their homes. Parents or guardians will be responsible for ensuring their children safely travel from home to the hub and back again. However, not all students attending schools in the pilot areas will be impacted by this change, as clarified by district officials during the community meetings.
There will be exceptions to the program. For instance, in the Nolensville area, students attending Nolensville High, Mill Creek Middle, and Mill Creek Elementary may be affected. Similarly, in the Franklin area, students attending Franklin High, Grassland Middle, and Hunters Bend Elementary could experience changes. Lastly, in the Spring Hill area, students attending Summit High, Spring Station Middle, and Allendale Elementary may also be impacted.
Once the school board has chosen the location for the pilot program, the specific hub sites will be determined. Detailed information regarding the program will be posted on the school’s website, according to Allison Nunley, the Williamson County Schools Supervisor of Planning and Zoning.
While some parents expressed concerns about the hub concept, others saw potential benefits. A parent named Austin Rodriguez remarked, “These hubs will become meeting points for our children, and I think it will foster a little community for the students and parents at each stop.”
The school board is actively seeking community feedback. Parents are encouraged to share their questions or concerns by emailing bus.pilot@wcs.edu. Based on the results of the pilot program, a comprehensive transportation plan will be presented to the school board for consideration in May 2024.
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