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Struthers City Schools looks to resolve transportation woes
By SARAH LEHR
STRUTHERS
The Struthers City Schools district is looking to retool its transportation system.
Superintendent Joseph Nohra suggested at a special board of education meeting Tuesday evening that the district look into a shared-service agreement with Austintown Schools for transportation personnel.
Nohra estimated the services would cost the Struthers district about $4,350 a month. The two districts have not yet agreed on a contract.
Among other issues, the Struthers district has faced a shortage of full-time and substitute drivers, which has led to bus routes starting up to an hour late and has nearly resulted in the district having to cancel school when drivers call in sick, Nohra said.
Struthers is not alone in school-busing problems. Schools across the county are facing driver shortages as applicants flock to other jobs with higher pay and less-stringent regulation, officials say.
Struthers Schools employs nine contracted drivers and one substitute, Nohra said, though it is looking to hire more drivers.
Nohra added he’s been receiving more complaints about both the physical state of the district’s buses and about the quality of the driving.
“We always take it seriously, and we investigate the complaints right away,” Nohra said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, after they’re investigated, we find that the complaints aren’t valid.”
A district bus driver will face additional training after a local media outlet filmed a bus rolling through a stop sign. Nohra said the driver admitted the mistake. He added the driver was filling in for someone else’s route, due to the district’s shortage of drivers, which contributed to the driver not being initially aware of the stop sign.
“Our drivers are awesome,” Nohra said. “Our drivers are under enormous scrutiny. I tell them just to expect that someone will be filming you 24-7.”
Nohra added he’s asked the Ohio Department of Education to audit the district’s transportation system.