MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — The Martin County School District has approved a consolidation of bus routes that officials say will save $255,000 without affecting students or eliminating any driver positions.
The school board voted Tuesday unanimously to reduce the number of bus routes by 3, bringing the total from 58 to 55 ahead of the upcoming school year. District officials say all bus stops will remain the same and students will not be impacted by the change.
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"Right now, we have 55 routes and roughly 56 drivers. So we have all of our routes covered," Superintendent Michael Maine said.
The $255,000 in savings reflects a reduced transportation budget and will not be redirected to a specific expense, according to the school district.
Parents have mixed reactions. Marino Reyes and Tiffany Gugumuck expressed support for the financial decision.
"I think that's a great thing. Absolutely. A quarter million dollars that's a lot of money just for that one situation there. So many other needs that we can put the money towards," Reyes and Gugumuck said.
Parent Ken Winstanley wondered what the change means for the budget.
"Where's the money gonna go to?" Winstanley said.
Michael Skinner, the President of the local AFSCME labor union chapter, voiced concerns during public comment on behalf of the bus drivers.
"As what my feedback from the bus drivers were is that their routes or their buses are always full and cutting routes are not actually a good idea," Skinner said.
Transportation Director Ruth Spires pushed back on that concern, noting that the buses hold a maximum of 77 passengers and are not operating at capacity. Spires also confirmed that no drivers were let go as part of the consolidation.
"We were already challenged with a shortage last year. So the routes that were merged—consolidated—yes, the drivers were already covering. So no one was cut at all," Spires said.
Drivers will be paid for any additional hours they work as a result of the consolidation, Spires explained. The district said it is confident it will maintain the same level of service with fewer buses on the road.
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