Richmond County schools to shift start times to ease bus woes

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Large modifications are coming to Richmond County colleges subsequent college 12 months.

For weeks, we have now reported in regards to the points with bus instances coming from a scarcity of drivers and extra college students within the district. One-third of scholars within the district have been coming to highschool late.

It is a matter Senior Director of Transportation Paul Abbott says must be mounted.

So, in Tuesday’s college board assembly, the board determined to stagger a number of the college begin instances. Abbott says one of many key points is that there was not sufficient time to get college students to every college on a bus driver’s route.

“One of many issues we observed over the previous few years, with the 45 minutes between bells, we simply didn’t have time to get from the primary college to the second college, to the third college,” Abbott defined. “As a result of all of the bus drivers have three colleges that they drive for.”

So, on this new mannequin:

1st tier colleges will now begin at 7:25 a.m. and finish at 2:10 p.m.

2nd tier colleges will begin at 8:30 a.m. and finish at 3:05 p.m.

And third tier colleges will begin at 9:20 a.m. and finish at 4:05 p.m.

So as a substitute of getting three colleges that each one begin on the identical time, they’re hoping by staggering these instances, it can permit college students to get their full college day and get them residence on time.

“Once you lose time with solely 45 minutes, when you misplaced it, you’ll be able to’t make up any time,” Abbott stated. “So, we hope that simply by growing every route by 15 to twenty minutes, this may give us sufficient time and to chop out quite a lot of the problems that we face each day.”

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