As the Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools (MVYPS) undergoes an independent audit of its transportation department’s practices, several implemented and potential changes were presented at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) committee meeting on Monday.
The implemented changes include the addition of a van to transport students residing in the up-Island towns to MVRHS and the Up-Island Regional School District’s (UIRSD) elementary schools. The Island schools also enrolled in the Massachusetts Association of Pupil Transportation (MAPT) — a membership-based organization that works with schools and government groups to improve school transportation management.
Ashley Lopes, MVYPS assistant superintendent, said that the new van, which went into use last week, was added to the fleet of three school buses that serve the area after parents shared their concerns about students being on the buses for long periods of time.
“We’re hoping that this will ease the time on the longer routes up there,” Lopes said. “We’re seeing that kids are using those vans at the moment, and we’re continuing to look at the routes throughout the district to see if there’s any consolidations that can happen.”
Despite potential consolidations of less busy routes, Lopes reassured that no staffing cuts would be made to the district’s bus drivers.
“We’re not looking to reduce any staffing. We’re just looking to have routes in better places that kids are,” she said.
Lopes, who started as assistant superintendent in August, told The Times that she’s focused on addressing the issue of tardiness in school transportation, which she attributes to a shortage of bus drivers.
“A priority right now is getting kids to school on time, which should be every year … and also making sure we have buses run where students are,” she said.
Other upgrades in the works include ordering routing software, implementing an online timekeeping system for drivers, and a possible partnership between MVYPS and the Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA) to recruit more school bus drivers.
