Montclair School Busing Off To Rocky Start Due To 'Perfect Storm’ Of Changes

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A “perfect storm” of transportation changes is behind a troubled beginning to the school year for students that take the bus in the Montclair Public School District, administrators say.

Last week, Interim Superintendent Barbara Pinsak sent a letter to Montclair parents and families apologizing for the district’s transportation struggles so far this year, calling the situation “unacceptable.”

“While I don’t believe in making excuses, I do think it necessary to explain that this summer we had a lot of transition with staffing in transportation and a change in service providers,” Pinsak stated. “These changes created a perfect storm, which individually would have had an impact, but collectively have resulted in our current situation.”

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According to Pinsak:

“We know that some families have been unable to reach the transportation department to report an issue and that is because department members are working through issues with other families. To support the transportation department in helping our families, Central Office has allocated secretarial staff to answer phones, take concerns and make certain that the transportation manager and her assistant receives the messages. We are all working to assist the department in swift resolutions to problems.”

She added:

“We believe that many of our bus issues are resolved and know that some are not. Business Administrator Emidio D’Andrea offers that any families with unresolved busing concerns that are not related to a change of bus stop, may contact him by email (edandrea@montclair.k12.nj.us) or phone (973-509-4053) after there has been an attempt to speak with someone in the transportation department. We want you to know that transportation can best resolve an issue. Please call only as requested above. Dissatisfaction with a stop does not constitute an emergency and cannot be a priority. We will certainly address those concerns, but at a later time.”

Moving forward, the district plans to send bus routes earlier in the summer, a solution that should help administrators “correct any normal problems that occur when a district buses more than 3,500 students,” Pinsak posited.

Pinsak concluded:

“We know that the busing contractors were not able to do thorough test runs of bus routes because of the delay in getting the routes awarded/assigned. That will not be an issue next year. Further, our transportation staff will receive any new training or support that they need in order to plan and implement busing in our school district. Finally, we have identified that there needs to be better communication between registration and transportation. Administrators for those departments have already begun to develop a corrective plan to improve that communication.”

Montclair isn’t the only Essex County school district to kick off the year with busing issues. Millburn’s school superintendent recently called the district’s busing woes a “colossal failure” after reports emerged about kids being dropped off at the wrong locations, in-town trips that took hours and drop-offs to locations without waiting adults.

• See related article: Millburn Busing Routes Are ‘Colossal Failure,’ School Superintendent Says

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