New busses are an exciting development this year for Wilton Public Schools, but district representatives expressed special appreciation for the people behind the wheel.
“Our students are riding in style,” Maria Coleman, assistant superintendent for human resources and administration, told the Board of Education on Thursday night, Sept. 18.
Despite a typically rocky start to the school bus schedules this year, with late pickups and drop-offs on many routes, Coleman said that the new fleet of 33 busses and three van-like “mini busses” is getting up to speed.
The district is also pleased with the purchase of its own van this year, and one new on-staff driver, which it hopes will save considerable money in the transportation budget.
The first day of school saw 23 late busses, Coleman said, but 18 days later there was only one or two running late. She noted, however, that the reasons are primarily things over which the district has no control.
“Downed wires multiple times, downed trees, limbs that obstruct roads, an accident on the Merritt Parkway, a truck on fire on Middlebrook Farm Rd. … All of theses things, obviously, are unanticipated,” Coleman said.
Ironically, parents driving students themselves has also added to traffic problems.
“At the beginning of the year, there’s definitely a trend where some parents drive their kids to school,” Coleman said. “I think sometimes they’re just trying to avoid the late busses (but) sometimes the extra cars on the road contribute to the late busses, because it causes additional traffic.”
The kindergarteners from Miller-Driscoll School, along with some of their guardians, have also played a part in adding to some delays in the afternoon.
“We have kindergarteners who are exiting the bus and we do have a requirement that there’s an adult always present to meet them,” Coleman said, “and we don’t always have the adults there, I’m sure for various reasons. So those kids are returned back to school in some cases.”
Coleman noted that some of the younger students also don’t always recognize their bus stops in the afternoon, especially during the first few weeks of school.
“We started the year fully staffed and, while that may seem like a given, when there’s a national shortage of drivers, that’s no small feat,” Coleman said.
Board member Pat Pearson spoke positively of his children’s experience riding the school bus this year.
“I’ll say anecdotally, both my kids take the bus and it’s fantastic,” he said.
This prompted Coleman to talk about the positive impact that the bus drivers can have on students.
“We have some really amazing drivers who develop really positive relationships with the families … There’s a lot of joy for them in doing this work,” she said.
“Families sometimes call and are sad because their driver was switched to a different route,” Coleman said. “and they didn’t have the opportunity to say goodbye, and they wanted to continue with that driver.”
“We’re lucky to have a dedicated staff and many of them have been with us for years,” Coleman said, noting that some of the drivers also work in the school buildings during the day in non-certified staff roles.
She noted that the relationship students have with their bus drivers can play a big part in their school experience.
“It makes it easier for the kids to go to school,” she said.
“I always tell the bus drivers (that) they’re the first point of contact and the last point of contact,” Coleman said, “and so they set the tone for the day for our kids, and also how they’re feeling about their day heading home.”
“Insuring that that point of contact is a really positive one, it can’t be overstated for some kids,” she said. “I just want to acknowledge the work that they do and their positivity, because as a parent said to me one year, every point of contact makes a difference.”
“You never know, for a student, when the bus driver is going to be the favorite part of the day,” Coleman said.
“Or the nicest,” BOE member Pam Ely added.