Superintendent, MSBSD administration announce new rolling bus cancellation schedule

As the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District (MSBSD) students enjoy a five-day weekend in honor of the Labor Day, the state-wide bus driver shortage continues, meaning the MSBSD administrative team spent many hours working on a new bus cancellation schedule in an attempt to limit disruption to students and families. This schedule will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 6, the first day back from the extended weekend.

In a letter sent out to MSBSD families and shared on the MSBSD Facebook page, Superintendent Dr. Randi Trani explained that while bus service has continued to improve with an on-time bus service at 97%, the district says that rolling bus cancellations will continue. MSBSD is working with Durham Bus Services to get back to full bus service.

“The district and Durham are still hopeful that we can get back to full service in the Mat-Su, similar to what occurred last year,” Dr. Trani said in the letter.

Dr. Trani went on to lay out the new rolling transportation schedule, saying that among the highlights of the changes, developing more predictable ‘no bus’ days with fewer last-minute bus cancellations, as well as organizing bus route cancellations around elementary schools. The hope with that is to reduce bottlenecks and allow for full use of those parking lots when regular education buses are cancelled (special education bus services are not affected by the rolling bus cancellations).

One change that will affect families across the district comes with the news that there will now be two consecutive ‘no bus’ days for each route per week.

“We know this is a hardship for families. However, the response we’ve received for more predictability has been resounding and has inspired this change rather than announcing the inevitable last minute cancellations each evening,” Dr. Trani wrote.

Certainly, MSBSD is not alone in the bus driver shortage. The Anchorage School District (ASD) is also experiencing a significant bus driver shortage that has led to a district plan that has split the students eligible for bus transportation up into three groups, providing buses for one group at a time — and up to six continuous weeks without available busing for others. ASD has also called into action four active duty airmen to assist with some routes.

Fairbanks has had to reduce their normal 120 routes to less than 70 extended routes, and seating 3 students to a seat.

Meanwhile, efforts continue as the district works with Durham Bus Services to fill the driver shortage that has led to the current route cancellation situation.

“We will continue our work with Durham to help support bus driver recruitment and find long-term solutions so we can better serve our families,” Trani said.

This week, school officials and Durham have been working with the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) and the DMV to try and accelerate the training schedule for new drivers. According to the letter, Durham has more than 30 prospective drivers awaiting training

“We are hopeful regulatory agencies can help to temporarily eliminate bottlenecks that prevent all drivers from being trained simultaneously. Thirty prospective drivers is certainly a step in the right direction but we need more,” Dr. Trani continued.

Durham, for its part, is offering significant signing bonuses and referral bonuses for additional drivers.

Dr. Trani has asked for feedback from families as to how to make the current shortage as least disruptive as possible.

For more information about the rolling bus cancellation schedules, visit www.matsuk12.us/buscancellations