REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — Students in Reynoldsburg have had an up-and-down schedule with remote and in-person learning.
School leaders said this is because of the ongoing struggles and a shortage of bus drivers.
To listen, and come up with ways to fix the problem, the district has been holding community conversations with parents.
10TV was at the latest one on Thursday.
Reynoldsburg City Schools leaders told 10TV they’re looking to hire 10 to 15 more bus drivers.
Erin Collins is a mother of a fourth, fifth and seventh graders that attend different schools. She said the transportation issue is frustrating.
“Right now, I don't have a single day where they all go to school. Every day of the week, at least one is home, mostly two,” said Collins. "I had to make myself a picture schedule to know when to send my kids to school.”
Debbie Dunlap is the president of the Reynoldsburg Board of Education. She said having the conversations are a great way for leaders to hear the concerns of parents and create short and long-term solutions.
"We get ideas, we get information, we get great input from our parents,” Dunlap said.
"I mean I have a daughter who's a senior and I’d like it to be fixed overnight as well and that's difficult,” Dunlap said. “Obviously this is an issue that's nationwide, but we know that each community has some specific challenges."
The district said about six drivers are expected to be hired and available within the coming weeks.
That’s music Collins likes to hear, but she hopes once these issues are gone, they'll never come back.
"I do think that it helps, and I do feel like they're listening, and I do feel like Reynoldsburg schools are trying to do what they can,” she said.
The district said as of Thursday, they have 43 bus drivers for 51 routes and some drivers have to double up.