Corpus Christi ISD is exploring adjusting bell schedules at some campuses to accommodate a bus driver shortage.
The Corpus Christi Independent School District needs twice as many bus drivers as it has. The district has 63 vacancies and 65 employed bus drivers.
In a statement, the district said that other school districts in the state have adjusted bell schedules due to transportation needs.
“CCISD is also interested in studying this strategy and is asking for input from staff and families who are or will be attending or working at schools that would be affected by an adjusted bell schedule,” the statement reads.
The potential bell schedule changes would change the hours at Windsor Park Elementary School, the Early Childhood Development Center and Metro Elementary School of Design to 7:30 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. That’s 20 minutes earlier than the current school day starts and ends at district elementary schools.
Middle school schedules across the district would change to 8:20 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. if administration chooses to go forward with the bell schedule changes. That’s 30 minutes earlier than the current school day starts and ends at district middle schools.
As of May 14, the district had not proposed changes at any other elementary schools or at high schools.
The district is surveying families and staff at the schools where schedules might be tweaked. According to the survey letters, the district is also reviewing after-care schedules, extracurricular schedules and staff schedules. The surveys close on May 15.
The district did not indicate when a decision on changing schedules may be made.
The statement claims that though school consolidations will add bus routes, the district would likely be “examining this option regardless of the consolidations” due to “experiencing a critical shortage of bus drivers for some time.”
The district is closing three middle schools and four middle schools at the end of the school year.
The district is hosting job fairs on June 3 and June 17 at Carroll High School.
Olivia Garrett covers education and community news in South Texas. Have a story idea? Contact her at olivia.garrett@caller.com.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Corpus Christi ISD may change bell schedules due to bus driver shortage
Reporting by Olivia Garrett, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
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