Dist. 300 admits busing problems

Community Unit District 300 officials acknowledged Monday that the district's controversial move to switch to a private busing contractor hasn't gone as smoothly as they had expected.

The district's buses, now run by Durham School Services, have had issues getting students to school and back home on time -- especially students in the district's new schools and children who live in new developments west of Randall Road, officials said.

"It's a situation that the administration is very aware of, and it's unacceptable," Superintendent Ken Arndt said.

In March, the District 300 school board voted against a new contract with the bus drivers union in favor of contracting out busing to Durham, a move officials said would save the district more than $2.1 million in employee retirement benefits.

The school board's decision was opposed by many of the nearly 200 transportation workers in the district, who feared they would be out of a job on July 1.

A Durham representative said Monday that Durham has hired 125 former District 300 bus drivers, as well as 33 drivers who weren't with the district.

Transportation officials said their greatest challenges this year are busing students who attend the district's new elementary schools, Gary D. Wright Elementary in Hampshire and Gilberts Elementary.

These challenges, officials said, were not anticipated before the first day of school.

"The impact of the new elementary schools was either underestimated or not considered," said Donna Bordsen, a District 300 transportation official.

Bordsen said the district built the two schools without increasing its transportation resources.

Officials said many issues were with students who live in new neighborhoods.

But one parent said her three school-age children haven't yet gotten picked up in the morning -- even though they have lived in their Reinking Road house for several years.

Dawn Butler of Hampshire said her children, ages 5, 7 and 10, didn't arrive home on their bus until 5:17 p.m. Friday. They were supposed to be home at 3:25 p.m.

"Their exact words were they 'weren't sure they would ever make it home,'" Butler said.

District officials said they are working to fix the problems Butler and other parents in the district have reported.

"We know we have challenges," Bordsen said. "We are addressing them."