It is no secret that the driver shortage has caused a strain on our transportation department and our ability to transport students to and from school on a daily basis. The shortage has also caused a cutback on before and after-school programming because District transportation is simply not available due to the shortage. Last year, the Board of Education asked a committee of key stakeholders to research and recommend ideas that could ease the strain on our transportation department. That committee, the Building Use Committee (BUC), has been working since the Fall to develop and test ideas that would ensure students are transported to and from school for their instructional day, and possibly return before- and after-school programming to provide students the whole Sweet Home experience in a fair and equitable manner.

At the Board of Education meeting last Tuesday night, the Building Use Committee (BUC) proposed new start and start times for the 2023-2024 school year. These recommended times are meant to ensure students are transported to and from school each day in a timely and safe manner, and to help return more programming outside of the school day. The proposal features staggered start and stop times for our elementary schools, allowing our District to transport the same amount of students with less bus runs. The proposed school schedule for the 2023-2024 school year is as follows:

Over the next month, District officials will be communicating these changes and holding question and answer sessions at monthly PTO/PTA meetings at all of our buildings. We encourage families to attend these meetings to learn more about why a change is necessary and the benefits staggered times has in transporting our students for all Sweet Home activities.

You can also view the presentation the BUC gave to the Board of Education here. This contains details on why the change is necessary and the benefits this change will have in terms of District transportation.

If you are unable to attend a PTO/PTA meeting but have comments or questions, please email Superintendent of Schools, Michael Ginestre, at mginestre@sweethomeschools.org. All comments and questions will be shared with our Board of Education.

Finally, if you would like to address the Board about these proposed changes, we encourage you to attend the next Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, March 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the Vergils Center at District Office.

We thank you for your continued support of our District and your understanding of the impact the driver shortage has had on our daily operations.