First days of WISD bus consolidation marked by frustration and long waits for some
Note: This story has been updated with additional comments from a parent.
Darlene Parish watched Tuesday afternoon as the school bus carrying her 8-year-old son sped past without dropping him off.
For an hour and 35 minutes, the Ypsilanti mom didn't know where he was.
After calling every number she could find, Parish finally received word her son was on the way home - but he wasn’t dropped off until 5:35 p.m., more than 90 minutes later than expected on his first day of school.
“It’s a huge parental concern,” she said. “Can you transport my son? When you have a bus driver who cares and has common sense to get from Point A to Point B (this doesn’t happen).”
Students board a school bus in Ypsilanti in this file photo.
Parish's situation may have been the most severe of the problems that occurred during the first couple days of the newly consolidated bus system between the Ann Arbor, Willow Run and Ypsilanti school districts. It was business as usual in some areas as the Washtenaw Intermediate School District-controlled buses picked up and dropped off students.
Still, long delays frustrated parents and administrators alike, most notably in Ypsilanti.
Parish’s son is in the third grade and attends Estabrook Elementary, just 10 minutes from her home. She said when she confronted the bus driver — who had previously driven her son last year as a substitute — he offered few answers for the delay.
“I asked, ‘What were you thinking?’ and he said, 'He wasn’t on my list,' and he asked my son, but he didn’t know,” Parish said. “But he’s 8.”
And Tuesday morning, Parish said she was forced to take her sons to school when neither of their buses showed up. She said her younger son was dropped off from Perry Elementary with no issues Tuesday afternoon.
Chizell Fuller’s son attends Ypsilanti High School and didn't see a bus arrive at his stop in either of the first two days of school. Fuller said she went to the WISD’s website before school started to check where the bus stop was in her apartment complex, and no bus ever came. She said she checked the same site later in the day and saw the bus stop had been changed to a different point in the complex.
After waiting for 25 minutes Wednesday morning, Fuller gave up and drove her son to school.
“It’s ridiculous,” she said. “I understand they have to save money, but the bus just doesn’t show up?”
Emma Jackson, a spokeswoman for Ypsilanti Public Schools, acknowledged the district had issues on Tuesday and said the administration was working with the WISD to fix them.
“We have had some areas that we definitely need to look at,” Jackson said. “Right now, reconfiguring is our top priority, and we’re working to make transportation work the way it should. We are addressing the concerns.”
One complication in Ypsilanti is the district’s schools of choice program. The scattering of students around different areas of the district caused confusion during the new system's first days.
Brian Marcel, assistant superintendent for finance for the WISD, said the complex routing in Ypsilanti was a problem Tuesday. He said the WISD didn't receive complete student data from the district before the start of school.
“There were various glitches in getting kids to the school they go to,” he said. “Ypsilanti has complicated routing, that’s the schools of choice piece, and we’re trying to get kids from all over the city to whichever school they go to. It does lend itself to complication.”
Marcel said the WISD is working with the district to complete the student data, which was slowed by a number of late registrations. He said the glitches should be worked out by the end of the week.
Jackson said the WISD's system was formed over a very short period of time, and patience is needed to get the kinks worked out.
“The WISD was given a short time frame to design and execute this program, they’re doing the best they can,” she said. “They’re taking on a whole new program, and it’s a lot of energy and work that goes into making sure students are transported in a timely fashion. We’re just trying to work with the WISD to make this run more smoothly and effectively.”
The problems weren’t unique to Ypsilanti - parents in Ann Arbor also reported transportation delays.
Kirsti Hilbert, who has a daughter starting first grade at Wines Elementary, said her daughter got off to school Tuesday morning with no delays. But she and her husband waited nearly 40 minutes for the bus to come after school.
She said she thought it was important her daughter get the first-day-of-school experience of riding the bus, which is why she decided not to drive her daughter to and from school.
“We waited and waited, and finally my husband decided it was crazy and left to go pick her up,” she said. “As soon as he left, the bus arrived, a good 40 minutes late.”
Hilbert said the bus was about 10 minutes late Wednesday morning and arrived at Wines after the bell rang to begin the day.
But Vanessa Clarke, who has two children attending Ann Arbor Open School, said her children's bus has not been delayed at all.
"That's pretty unheard of in the first few days of school," she said. "And, especially unexpected given the construction on the route."
Clarke said the route her children take is one of the longest in the district and, if transportation service continues in this way, she has no complaints about consolidation. She said it may take a little longer to get a real sense of the change.
Liz Margolis, spokeswoman for Ann Arbor Public Schools, called the delays “unacceptable” and said officials are keeping a close eye on certain routes. She said the district is still attempting to sort out whether problems are being caused by bus consolidation or are simply beginning-of-the-year problems.
“We expect that over the next couple days, these issues will be ironed out,” she said, noting special education routes were taking longer than expected.
Margolis said construction around Ann Arbor was a major factor Tuesday morning. She said administrators are reaching out to city officials to figure out better ways to get around current road projects.
“Construction killed us,” she said. “It was a big, uncontrollable nightmare.”
Kyle Feldscher covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com.
Comments
proudparent
Tue, Sep 14, 2010 : 5:16 p.m.
WISD is way in over there heads with this consolidation. They have no clue about transportation. Its like asking someone to fix a car thats not a mechanic, and when asked to fix the car they just look like, "ummm what do i do?" I feel sorry for the students and parents that had to endure long arrival and wait times. Especially a parent with a child just starting school. I work for WISD now, and i feel used by this company. They are paying retired drivers 22.00 a hour and they dont know these routes and im getting 13.00 to do something ive been doing for the past 6 years. I know my kids, i know my route, and i have a excellent driving record. Why am i getting such low pay to do the same job they are doing? Im not getting lost or losing kids or running late.?! I love this job, and im glad i was rehired, but i challenge anyone who isnt a bus driver to try it, and i bet you say we deserve more than 13.00 a hour. We carry, deliver and safely transport your most prized possesions. I dont know about you but i just dont let my kids get in any vehicle without knowing that the driver is experienced and has the know how to.
gdwtch
Sat, Sep 11, 2010 : 5:33 a.m.
I do not think that most people understand the limitations that being a school bus driver puts on people trying to make a living wage. The average route consists of 6 hours paid per day. However, the average driver works 2 and 3/4 hours staring at around 6am, has 2 hours unpaid until about 11:30am,then works at noon for maybe a little over an hour, punches out for another hour plus, then in again for the take home for another 2 and 1/2 to be finished at around 5pm. These hours preclude most from having a second job that starts before 5:30pm or so, and after having spent most of the day at the bus lot between runs(because who can afford the gas to go back and forth from home,let alone the meager 1 hour you may have to take care of homework)a second job that pays minimum wage is actually better paying than the breakdown of 11 hours consumed and only paid for 6. It is very interesting that the MEA would like to represent the transportation workers at this time as it was rumored last year that all AAPS employees(including teachers) were going to be asked to take a 6% pay cut to help the district meet the budget. The MEA(teachers) did not take any cuts at all,they maintained a freeze on wages and benefits(wouldn't it be nice if everyone in the US could have everything frozen at 2005-2006 rates like home prices,401k,etc.)Teachers deserve to be paid well, but with the mess that nearly everyone is dealing with financially in this country,I believe that there should be another form of incentive for the very large salaries that many enjoy simply due to the length of time they have done this job, or how many extra letters they have after their names. I am especially surprised that MEA, representing the AAPS teachers, were not more progressive about the village concept of raising children,and that all of us need to feel a part of a society that is not only about me and mine,but about all of us helping to make each other better off because it is just and right and will benefit our children in ways that money just will not. When and where(if not Ann Arbor)are we going to take feeling safe(having shelter,food,etc.)seriously? Those who have not been so lucky and have to do whatever they can to get by,(the working poor)need to know that they are valued.
AMOC
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 4:51 p.m.
The bus for my kids showed up on time for pickups, and brought them home on time as well. All week. No problems, no issues, no hassle other than that the bus ride from our Superior Twp home is an hour and 10 minutes long each way. This is the same as last year. The start of school this year was completely unlike our experience last year. Then there was 1) no stop assigned for our street along Plymouth Rd. 2)even after the route was updated to include a stop, the bus driver didn't actually stop for 3 more days and 3) substitute bus drivers regularly got lost on the route, leading to very late pick ups or returns from school a couple times each month. However, the driver was very nice, looked out for my kids and intervened when there were some incidents of bullying. It sounds to me as if there were no more than the usual start-up issues with buses this year, in spite of the consolidation. There are always a few bobbles at the start of the year, and so far no child was ever in danger, just not where his or her parents expected him or her to be.
jns131
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 1:01 p.m.
As for dry runs? AAPS makes the driver drive a run for about 2 hours and to get to know a run well. I remember my run with a preschool run well, this was years ago. We got lost. I mean very lost. So lost in fact that a 2 hour run took 3 1/2 hours and base had to turn us around just to get us back on track. So glad that run went better on the real McCoy then that day. Now, as for training? I have heard from other drivers across the nation that some of them and I heard Lincoln does this too, they get one week of bus training and out the door they go to get certified. AAPS supervisors I remember mine, took almost the entire summer. 4 weeks. The supervisors told me that they do not let anyone test until they feel you are ready. So, where these drivers ready? I don't know. From the sounds of it? Probably not. Also, if you look at the consolidated school districts vs non? Um, did you know the superintendents are now gone? If not retired? Resigned? Gee I wonder why.
mrbrian
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 10:48 a.m.
m go, beleive it or not, they did dry runs, I saw the busses on the road, and my friends who DID get hired told me
mrbrian
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 10:45 a.m.
I'm reminded of a Will Smith line from "I robot": 'ya know "i told you" so just doesn't seem to say it
MGoYpsi
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 10:32 a.m.
All I keep reading is comments about unions. The real people hurt are the kids. Working out the kinks on the routes is one thing, but being an hour late getting home is not acceptable. This was poor planning from the top down. Transportation and adminstration knows it is the first week of school, so plan ahead and look at routes, have a dry run. This is not fair to the kids and is not good marketing for districts if they want school of choice kids.
L'chaim
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 7:29 a.m.
@mommaG - Union-busting (and pie-in-the-sky savings delusions) that is why Ann Arbor went to WISD for transportation.
ron
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 6:05 a.m.
aren't you glad the government if the school system is saving us all this money at the expense of the safety of the children. My district did not join this circus this year and hopefully will not, and my kids got to and from school just fine, with better than an hour ride on the bus.
gdwtch
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 11:03 p.m.
Wisd did not rehire so many experienced drivers in Ann Arbor that 1/3 of the drivers in Ann Arbor are newly trained schoolbus drivers and/or are unfamiliar with the area. This was a big mistake as 1/3 of these people have not had the opportunity to train properly(as in ride with an experienced driver to learn some of the helpful tips about the kids,the roadways, etc.) Wisd was on top of getting employees to sign up to work, but employees do not have any access to their medical insurance,have been told that if they have an emergency,they will have to pay out the initial $4000 deductible now, and no one is available to answer questions about most everything. So many good drivers were not brought back, and with this kind of uncertainty about their welfare, quite a few that were are looking for something else and considering leaving. The hard thing is that we feel under appreciated for what we try to contribute to the schoolday for our students. Driving a schoolbus is a labor of love, and not very lucrative, as the 4+ weeks that the kids are off during the regular year for holidays are not paid,and many drivers have second and even third jobs to make ends meet. Supervisors are trying to fill in the holes (driving and speed training) in other districts, so they are not able to help with the issues that always happen with the kickoff of the new year. The compensation increases that they are rumored to be receiving should help with the stress that they are surely feeling through all of this. Meanwhile, those with experience will do their best to help those who need it, not because they are getting paid for it, but because thats just who the people that drive your children to school every day are.
Krista Boyer
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 10:08 p.m.
"It's also very disappointing that unionized teachers did little or nothing to publicly come to the aid of drivers formerly employed by individual school districts. They seem to have stood by quietly while these driver positions went under the bus, acting as if union solidarity were a thing of the past." While I cannot speak for all of the newly consolidated districts, I know that the teachers in YPSD did in fact try desperately to convince the school board NOT to use this plan. Also, YPSD had school of choice bussing prior to this year, and the bussing ran quite smoothly.
jns131
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 9:43 p.m.
I have no idea why WISD went with certain drivers and did not go with the others. I have no idea why they did not hire all of the drivers back that cared about the children like AAPS did. I remember hearing on the radio many times, we need a few buses over to where ever to look for a missing child. These are the drivers who gave up a chance to go back to base and go home. We cared. In the end AAPS drivers got their child. I do agree with Chai, there were some great drivers who should have been hired and some not so great who did get hired and should not have. WISD is expending a lot of money to keep great drivers off the road and paying retired ones an exorbitant amount to drive. Does not make sense to me in the least. Especially unemployment expense versus having the laid off bus driver, drive. What does not make any sense to me in the least is Ypsi children with school choice getting a bus ride to school? I thought if you chose a different school you did not get a bus ride, you had to find your own way. I'm confused now. As for the unionized teachers? O they were all for helping out the little guy, at first. But when the going got rough? They disappeared. Totally disappeared. No one helped the bus drivers and monitors. O wait, yes, they did help a little, for the custodians. But boy did they push the drivers under the proverbial bus. The union did what it could to save its drivers. But what happened in the end was the AAPS Board having a meeting on June 25 when everyone went on vacation and there was no one around to protest, had their vote and eliminated transportation altogether. AAPS transportation ended on that day, not June 30 or Sept 1 like I am hearing. But June 25. We read it on this web site, not from AAPS that our jobs were eliminated. How does that make one feel. Gee, I don't know, mad? Then mid July AAPS decides to send the drivers and monitors letters when the other districts where on top of it already. AAPS? You made your bed, now lets see you lie in it.
L'chaim
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 8:08 p.m.
@salemresident and all the defenders of defunding schools: Consolidation may well prove to be more expensive. In early Summer the claim was that it would save $1.3 million. This article has revised that figure downward to $1 million. An honest accounting will have to include the higher than expected training costs currently being incurred, the unplanned special wage rate of $22 per hour being offered to retirees who agree to come back on a temporary basis to help fill in gaps in staffing (especially once preschool routes go online and drivers have to be moved around, which may leave other routes uncovered), the unplanned re-hire of employees that did not apply for jobs at the WISD but will be brought in to work for their old wage rate on a temporary basis (in Ypsilanti), the cost of unemployment to the laid-off workers who weren't hired at the ISD (being discarded for less qualified replacements), and other such hidden (or simply not reported) costs. (These measures are reportedly being taken now at the WISD). Clearly, these cuts do affect students, albeit not by slashing classroom programs (which would be bad). The state (national and State Government) can afford to fund schools, but it chooses not to do so while preserving tax breaks for the rich, and corporations and other less worthy programs. Slashing the lowest wage earners won't save the schools in the long run.
Sandy Castle
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 7:59 p.m.
The first week of school is always a logistical problem for busing. New routes, new stops, more kids, etc. It has happened every year that I've had kids in schools where they've needed to be bused (6 years). It always works itself out. I believe that having the busing done through the WISD is a much better system because if it turns out to be a problem with the drivers than they can be disciplined and/or terminated. Many of Ypsilanti's bus drivers were not very good at their jobs. Getting lost on field trips and athletic outings was commonplace. I find it absolutely ridiculous that they were being paid close to $18./hr for the poor jobs that some of them were doing. Some should have been let go long ago because in the long run it ended up making the whole system look bad, good drivers included.
dlaute81
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 5 p.m.
My 5-year-old daughter who just started kindergarden was not picked up yesterday morning or this morning. Yesterday afternoon, she left Perry on the bus at 4:10 PM and didn't arrive at my house on the west side of Ypsilanti until 6:30 PM. At 5:45 PM the driver called me for directions. It took her over three hours to get home from school and spent nearly 2.5 hours on the bus. Not impressive.
MonkeyintheMiddle
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 3:01 p.m.
I think that a little bit of communication from the bus dept or the schools would go a long way to help parents understand the delays and realize that the problems will be worked out. AAPS even said they don't know if the problem is from the consolidation, construction, or just working out first-week kinks. The root cause may be different for each route, but please let us parents know that while the problems are being addressed that our children's safety is top priority.
ypsiarbormom
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 2:42 p.m.
What I am trying to figure out is what is making the buses so late after school. Not just 'long ride' late, but late getting to some of the elementary buildings at departure.
salemresident
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 2:42 p.m.
The State of Michigan is unable to financially support schools in this economic down turn. Tax payers who defeated the county millage request made strong claims that school districts are not using tax dollars efficiently. The only way to keep cuts away from classrooms is by consolidation and outsourcing on all support services. WISD may have had a rough start, but in Ann Arbor I haven't seen any difference from the delays I've experienced every year as bus drivers were learning new routes.
dading dont delete me bro
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 2:40 p.m.
from KMB "...So all of the suggestions are fine and good but not all parents have the privilege of staying home and taking their children to and from school!!!!" i work 40 hours a week as does my wife. we live 1 mile from my 2nd grader's school, but no bus. i will not have him walk that far on his own. my wife drops him off and we pay (not that we can easily afford it) for morning and after school program. we could get him there as early as 5 minutes prior to the door opening, but we can't just drop him off and have him wait or we'd be late. there is no bus service for this school. so i don't know where your beef is coming from. i need to change my avatar to something represent.
KMB
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 2:05 p.m.
It's real easy for people say what a parent should or shouldn't when they are not directly affected by the issue at hand. Although YPS are school of choice some student's were moved to other schools farther away from the schools they attended last year due to Elementary schools closing. These schools that they were given a "choice" to attend are further away from where they live. I for one cannot walk my child to school because I work I have to commute to work each morning and because our children are not allowed to be dropped of prior to 8:15 walking is not an option for me. Also if a child lives 10 minutes from school that could very well be driving time, even if it were actual walking time, if you factor in the walk to the school and back home that is 20 minutes. So all of the suggestions are fine and good but not all parents have the privilege of staying home and taking their children to and from school!!!!
Momma G
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 1:51 p.m.
Each year students end up on a little extended bus ride the first day or two of school. In my years at an elementary school I can say AAPS bus drivers never "lost" a child. The AAPS bus drivers cared for their students and their safety. They took pride in making sure they got to the right stops. Some students would get on the wrong bus but still that driver made sure they found & delivered the students to the right home. Why AAPS would go with a WISD transportation system makes no sense to me. They sure don't mind spending money on "consultants" to assist admins who don't do their jobs right! Go figure!
bob
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 1:03 p.m.
Do I deserve the right to complain and my child didnt get to his stop until 5:30 that evening after he sat on the bus from 3:30 to 4:20 (that is the time the bus left the school) he was hungry and had to use the bathroom? We couldnt get a hold of transportation.....I don't think this was well thought out and the money used to remodel Chappell (now closed) or even the REBUILD the white house should have been spent to pay these bus drivers and not risk the safety and well being of our kids....
YpsiLivin
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 1:02 p.m.
Steve, I'm not sure you missed anything, but the author may have. Distance is typically measured in miles, not minutes. In other words, living 10 minutes from school may not mean that a 10-minute walk from home will get you to school. (We live 10 minutes from my children's school - 5.5 miles by car.) Ypsilanti was recently reconfigured and it's a schools of choice district so a student could indeed live several miles away from the school and still live "within ten minutes."
Speechless
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 1:01 p.m.
In the interest of saving money by paying less per hour to fewer drivers with less experience (and presumably with less inclination toward union activity), things have become a bit rough for area families and schools, as well as for the reduced transportation staff. Plenty of inconsistency to go around. It's also very disappointing that unionized teachers did little or nothing to publicly come to the aid of drivers formerly employed by individual school districts. They seem to have stood by quietly while these driver positions went under the bus, acting as if union solidarity were a thing of the past. Showing "solidarity" does not necessarily imply that teachers should have volunteered a pay reduction to help save former drivers. Besides, the WISD thumbed its nose to some degree at the concept of cost savings by paying more, apparently, to its transportation supervisors. Teachers might have used their greater negotiating strength to extend support, but instead they kept to their own personal interests while the bus consolidation "plan" clumsily and coldly forged ahead. The sharing of resources between local districts can be handled in ways that brings more good results than bad, but not when employees are treated shabbily to the benefit of bean-counting administrators less concerned with quality of service and the livelihood of others. The behavior of school districts and the WISD in implementing the joint transportation plan demonstrates yet again why strong, activist unions are essential to the welfare of people who do work for a living.
breadman
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 12:54 p.m.
Check with the State transporation dept. Some grade levels can only be on a bus for a small amount of time.
Steve Pierce
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 12:18 p.m.
Did I miss something? They live 10 minutes from school and the 8yo rides the bus. Why not walk to school with your kid each day? You get 10 minutes of quality time with your kids and no hassles waiting for the bus.
dading dont delete me bro
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 12:13 p.m.
if you choose (i repeat choose) to send your kid to another school and have a bus issue TAKE THEM. if you can't take them, don't choose... "One complication in Ypsilanti is the districts schools of choice program. The scattering of students around different areas of the district caused confusion during the new system's first days." one problem solved. now, when i rode the bus, 45 minute ride to/from school was not uncommon. i was one of the first picked up and last dropped off. when it becomes an hour, i would complain. so to the one's complaining about 40 minutes, again, take them.
glimmertwin
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 12:11 p.m.
>> the WISD didn't receive complete student data from the district before the start of school. I think that pretty much sums up the majority of the problem right there. We have the same issues, and our district is not part of the WISD. It happens every year. If it does turn out to be the fault of the "lower paid workers", which I don't think it is, at least they can be fired and replaced promptly.
L'chaim
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 11:53 a.m.
"unacceptable." "big, uncontrollable nightmare." no comment. "the WISD was given a short time-frame"?? NO, they asked, begged for it, in fact. And assured everyone that they could do it easily. They clearly don't know what their doing. They are only saved by the experience of older drivers and other workers who are earning much less now, and being pushed to limits of their power to endure stress. But, while drivers are limited to (an average) 13% less pay than now, supervisors will earn more at the WISD than they were able to in their districts...let's not forget that. The application process was a "big, uncontrollable nightmare," too. The WISD hired many of the previous drivers, but left several good drivers, with good work records jobless. Deliberately. They hired unqualified drivers, and paid other drivers OT to train them all in record time, while excluding ace drivers with exemplary attendance and driving records. It makes no sense and is extremely unfair. Initially, the AAPS also did its best to keep us all off unemployment, going so far (in July) as to tell the UIA that drivers were still expected to return (to the AAPS) on September first and were thus ineligible, and otherwise holding up the process to deny benefits to deserving workers. It has been a very, very painful and/or stressful, not to mention demeaning and devaluing experience for everyone in transportation, for those of us who were not hired back, as well as the lucky ones who kept their jobs.