New School Start Times Won't Fix Busing Problem, HCPSS Driver Says: Report

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — After non-stop bus transportation problems plaguing the Howard County Public School System, adjusted school start times took effect Wednesday to help alleviate trouble. A bus driver has spoken out wondering if that change will be enough.

HCPSS Superintendent Michael Martirano addressed families in a message explaining that their modeling indicated the time changes would help.

"Since the first week of school, we have been reviewing data and testing scenarios to make adjustments. Our modeling has demonstrated that the changes being implemented tomorrow will result in a marked improvement in the ability of buses to arrive at their destinations on time. As drivers, students and families adjust to the new start and drop-off times, there may still be some delays and other issues that occur that we will troubleshoot as they arise. As part of our continuous improvement process, any further route modifications will be shared directly with impacted families," Martirano said.

Families can fill out a feedback form to further address any bus route issues, Martirano noted.

"We believe these modifications will correct a majority of the buses that are currently arriving at their stops behind schedule," Martirano said at a meeting Monday, WMAR reported.

On Tuesday, community members held a town hall meeting called Neighbors for Buses to brainstorm additional solutions. Tracy Crowder, who has driven a bus for HCPSS for more than 40 years, told WBAL that her routes continue changing, which consistently makes her late.

"I have never seen anything like this with kids being left behind in all these years that I've been driving in this county. I have never seen a child be left behind like I do this year," Crowder said.

Adjusting school start times by 10 minutes, which took effect Sept. 20, will not fix the mess, she said.

"It's not going to do anything, because the cluster that we see now is just going to move 10 minutes. That's it. The cluster's going to stay," Crowder said.

During the first week of school, HCPSS officials and its new transportation company Zum suspended 20 bus routes, forcing families to find alternate means of transportation.

"The number one thing of how we start our day is school buses, and the education system is failing by not recognizing that schedules are falling apart, and it's a cascade effect," Howard County Public Schools parent Rachel Ortiz said at the meeting.

People at the meeting suggested that elected officials review the Zum contract to see if regulations are being followed. Others said they want to see it terminated, WBAL reported.

"This is a much broader issue than Zum. This is a failure of planning both in where we built schools, how we assign students to schools and how we define bus routes to get children to schools," Elkridge resident Drew Roth said.

The Howard County Board of Education doesn't believe the current plan will fix the problem either.

"Our concerns are numerous," Antonia Watts, chair of the Howard County School Board, told WMAR. "We have concerns about the data being used to make the decision. We have concerns about whether we'll have to make this change again in the future. We have concerns about shifting the school start times, that the board really wanted the later school times for high school students."

To see a full list of all of the school start time changes that started Wednesday, visit this website.

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