Cumberland school panel talks bus woes

CUMBERLAND — Two weeks into the new school year, the Cumberland School District has been bombarded by phone calls and emails from parents concerned about overcrowded and consistently late school buses across the district, which are picking up students late at bus stops and dropping them off at school long after the school day starts.

The same problems are being reported in the afternoon where in some cases students are not being picked up for at least a half-hour after school closes for the day. In addition to being consistently late, some buses are carrying upwards of 68 students, which is near full capacity.

The School Department has a transportation contract with Durham School Services, which has a three-year con- tract with the district.

The recent problems prompted School Superintendent Robert Mitchell to address the matter at the School Committee’s meeting Thursday, where at least one member of the committee, who cited similar problems last year, suggested the district consider hiring a different bus company.

“It’s time to start looking at our bus

contract and decide if Durham is the vendor we want to keep because year in and year out we have the same problems,” said School Committeeman Paul DiModica. “It’s time to move on, I think.”

According to Mitchell, buses this year have been consistently late in the morning, especially Bus

#19 to the Ashton Elementary School where students aren’t arriving until after classes start.

“Students are not being brought to school on time and that’s unacceptable,” Mitchel told the committee. “The bus company has a responsibility to pick students up at their bus stop on time and get them to school before the school day starts.”

The problem, though, is widespread. In addition to Bus #19, there are issues

with Bus #42 at the B.F. Norton Elementary School, especially in the afternoon where buses are have been more than 30 minutes late picking up students after school closes.

Bus #34 at the Community School has also been consistently late getting kids to school and is also overcrowded, the superintendent said.

“The bus’ capacity is 70 students and there are 68 students riding that bus now,

which is uncomfortable,” Mitchell said.

At the John J. McLaughlin Cumberland Hill Elementary School, Bus #41 as well as a mini-bus that carries students with special needs are consistently late, and Bus# 7, which takes students to the YMCA, is consistently late picking up students in the afternoon.

There have been no reported issues yet at the Garvin Memorial School, Joseph L. McCourt Middle School and North Cumber-

land Middle School, but the district has received complaints that Buses #3 and #31 at the high school have been consistently late.

Mitchell says Durham’s Paul Neves is planning to add an additional bus to the schedule.

“He has assured me that these problems, especially Bus #19, will be resolved Monday and that students will be picked up on time and delivered to school in the morning before the school

day starts,” he said. “We will continue to work on these issues because they need to be resolved.”

School Committee member Bill Dennen pointed out that there were problems with Bus #19 last year.

“I’m hoping they can resolve this in a timely fashion,” he said. “We owe it to the families find out what’s going on and fix it.”