At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, the Fredericksburg City School Board will hold a special meeting to discuss division-wide transportation issues that have caused disruption over the first week and a half of school.
The meeting, which will be held at the Walker-Grant Center, lists on its agenda a public comment period and a single information item: “transportation update.”
In a statement sent to families Tuesday evening, FCPS Superintendent Dr. Marci Catlett revealed that the division currently has five bus driver vacancies and does not have enough substitute drivers to fill the gap. Last week, the division posted separate notices seeking to hire bus drivers and bus assistants.
“This is causing us to create double and even triple runs, which may cause delays to arrival times and extend the school day,” Catlett wrote.
Additionally, the superintendent wrote, this school year saw FCPS replace its “antiquated” paper-and-pencil routing system in favor of a technology-based “Tyler” system and change tracking apps from Spot My Bus to My Ride K-12.
Sources tell the Free Press that FCPS has formed a task force in response to receiving numerous complaints from parents and families about transportation issues, including late buses. Several bus routes have been changed — some more than once — since the first full day of school on Aug. 19.
Catlett apologized for the “stress and frustration this might have caused.”
To sign up for public comment, fill out an online form and email [email protected] or call (540) 372-1130 (Extension 2608) before 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, including name, address and topic. All comments must be made in person at the meeting.
