Weeks into the school year, parents say they have faced delayed pickups and drop-offs and even missed stops when it comes to busing for the elementary and middle schools.
“You expect there to be kinks that need to be worked out in the beginning of the school year, but this is next level,” said Hannah Booko, a parent to two Winn Brook Elementary students.
Winn Brook parents said up until late last week, one of the buses was regularly late and often missed stops in the morning. At least twice students were nearly an hour late to school, they added.
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This year, Belmont has a new bus provider, Doherty’s Garage, and the district is beginning to incorporate electric buses into its fleet. With the change, Superintendent Jill Geiser said the district expected to see issues and delays at the start of the year due to new drivers.
“When we have new drivers, they’re trying to figure out the routes, and the streets in Belmont are not easy to navigate, especially when you factor traffic into it,” Geiser said.
Winn Brook parent Brittany Hatfield said parents in her neighborhood repeatedly reached out to district officials to express their concerns. Some felt there was a lack of urgency when it came to responses.
“It seems like there are many things that can be done and implemented to help ease this, and there’s been no efforts to even attempt to coordinate and make changes,” Hatfield said.
Last week, Transportation Director Cameron Locke rode the bus parents raised concerns over and subsequently adjusted morning pickup times. Locke and Director of Finance, Business and OperationsAnthony DiCologero did not respond to requests for comment.
Now, students get to school a bit early and sit on the bus until school doors open, but parents call that a welcome change.
However, because that bus drops off Chenery Upper Elementary students in the afternoon before going to Winn Brook, students are waiting for roughly 20 minutes after school before they are able to board a bus home.
Booko said the inconsistent schedule not only disrupts her day-to-day, but it has caused an increasing amount of anxiety for her children.
“I got a call from the school yesterday, and they said [my son] was inconsolable because he was so nervous about riding the bus home and wondering if it’s gonna be too late, and if I’ll be standing outside when the bus comes,” she said, adding that she often waits 45 minutes after school for the bus to drop off her children.
Parents emphasized that their frustration lies with the school district, not the bus’ driver.
“I think that’s another part of this, you got a guy who really enjoys what he’s doing, and he’s also not getting set up for success,” Hatfield said.
Winn Brook is not the only school where parents say they have been impacted by scheduling and a learning curve for drivers — a period they say has lasted longer this year compared to previous years.
A middle school bus drops off Polina Gasparian’s daughters about 20 minutes before school doors open, meaning they have to wait outside since the bus is unable to stay. While the early pickup — usually around 6:50 a.m. — means an early wake-up time for her kids, Gasparian said she is concerned about the prolonged wait outside as temperatures begin to cool down for the winter.
She has also faced inconsistency with bus times and communication with the district, including the elimination of her children’s previous bus stop that she alleges was never communicated to her.
“They’re sending out emails to us parents saying, ‘Here’s the bus time,’ and it’s nowhere near that. I mean, we’re not mind readers,” Gasparian said.
According to Geiser, the school district continues to monitor and address concerns as the year goes on.
“It is getting better, and so we have certainly seen some improvements from the beginning of the year. We continue to work on the issues as they arise,” Geiser said.
Some parents echoed her sentiments, saying while there are still issues to be ironed out, they are feeling optimistic about the rest of the school year.
“I’m feeling positive now that the morning times have changed, the kids are getting to school early,” she said. “That’s already been such a relief.”
