TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) — A critical bus-driver shortage is forcing one local school corporation to change school start and end times.
Tippecanoe School Corp. administrators recently announced a four-tier schedule next school year.Â
The schedule is as follows:
- 7:30 am-2:20 pm
- Harrison and McCutcheon
- 8:25 am-3:05 pm
- East Tipp/Hershey, Southwestern/Mintonye, Wainwright
- 8:50 am-3:30 pm
- Battle Ground Elem, Cole, Dayton, Mayflower Mill, Wea Ridge Elem, Wyandotte
- 9:30 am-4:10 pm
- Battle Ground MS/Burnett Creek, Klondike Elem/MS, Wea Ridge MS, Woodland
In an email to parents, the corporation says 99 bus drivers are doing the work of 125, which is causing hour-long delays before and after school.
Here's what McCutcheon High School parent Brent Tieke had to say about the change:
"With two kids at McCutcheon, it doesn't really affect us at all but then I started talking to friends who have smaller kids in the middle schools and the grade schools, and it's seriously affecting them because they've got their day care set up, they've got their work hours set up," he said.
TSC administrators weren't available Tuesday to comment.
In the letter, the corporation says, "We empathize with our families and staff as they work to make the necessary adjustments to family and school schedules."
"There's got to be an incentive out there where they don't disrupt six, seven, eight-thousand families," Tieke said.
