The Ottawa Elementary School District wants to buy more buses. The school board approved allowing Supt. Michelle Lee to look for bids for six more buses and two activity buses. The activity bus will be similar to the white buses Ottawa High School uses to take students places. Parents have been taking their kids to activities because the district hasn’t been able to take kids to all events. Board Pres. Brendan Donahue says parents have asked why the district has taken some students to activities and not others. According to District Transportation Coordinator Steve Stohr while the district has buses, some can only be used for certain routes. Donahue explains.
Supt. Lee says the district is also waiting on buses the school board ordered in April last year. She says they might show up in August if the company doesn’t tell the district their order will be pushed back again. She says that she, Donahue, and Stohr did some brainstorming.
Because the district is dealing with a bus driver shortage, Lee says if the district does get more buses they don’t have the people to drive them. Although some parents are getting their CDL license. But at the same time if they get enough drivers they might not have enough buses depending on how long it takes for them to show up.