Dist. 15 debates ways to solve busing issues

There's no question that there are problems with Palatine Township Elementary District 15's new bus routes.

But getting an answer to fix them isn't so easy.

On Wednesday, the school board debated various ways to alleviate concerns over long bus routes, getting kids to school on time and other issues that have come up since switching this year to a two-tier bus system.

To help, district officials will spend the rest of the week seeing if they can contract with more buses from neighboring school districts or outside busing agencies.

If that doesn't happen, bell times for District 15 parochial schools and Conyers Learning Academy would be shifted by 20 minutes, which would allow for extra time and take pressure off other routes.

This recommendation comes from a study done by TransPar Group, a school bus consulting company hired last month as an emergency expense by the school board.

Typical suburban school districts have a three-tier bus system, said Kyle Martin, vice president of the group.

"With two tiers, you need to add buses," he said. "When it starts to snow, it's going to get worse."

Since District 15 operates its own bus fleet, officials say it will take several weeks to buy new buses and get new drivers in place -- especially since all suburban school districts are struggling to find bus drivers.

School board member Nancy Carlson initially proposed changing around school start times so a three-tier system could be implemented to help address the problems.

"We don't have a sister school district or an outside contractor," she said. "What we have is our own buses. We can make a change in people's schedules, but we can only work with what we have."

Some members cautioned against changing district-wide start times in the middle of the school year, which could leave parents with day-care issues.

"It might fix some people's problems but will bring 200 more people here that are upset," said board member Wendy Rowden. "We don't know if that will work."

If Conyers or the parochial school start times are altered, a board vote is not needed. Parents should check www.ccsd15.net for more information.