Good afternoon, ASD Families and Staff, 

We continue to actively work to address our bus transportation crisis for short, immediate, and long term.

As of today, August 16th, our numbers are unchanged from yesterday. Recruiting, hiring, and training continue full steam ahead. However, it looks like we could get close to 20 drivers returning after the tourist season wraps next month. Great news and fingers crossed!

We have been receiving many questions about our hiring process and why CDL drivers aren’t hitting the street faster. It’s all about training and meeting federal requirements. It takes a few weeks to make sure our drivers know the rules and have the ability to transport our students SAFELY to school and back again. A CDL is a big plus but still requires training. The most urgent thing we can do is hire more bus drivers and bus attendants. With more, we will begin to restore our levels of bus service to you. We’ve added this to our FAQ page.

Also, our route reinstatement priorities remain the same. The top priorities are safety, student needs, and efficiency. We’ve already been able to make some of those efficiency improvements. Those families are receiving direct communication from our transportation team. 

In the meantime, a review process of how we got into this situation is already in motion. This will include, among other things, dissecting our transportation processes and logistics so that our transportation teams have a blueprint for better success. More to come.

I want to thank our families, staff, and community for lending their support, ideas, and networks to us. We are thoroughly reviewing and vetting all options. 

Best,

Dr. Jharrett Bryantt, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Anchorage School District

Good afternoon, ASD Families and Staff,

I hope you had a great day!

Thank you for your continued feedback about the bus driver shortage and rotating bus routes schedule. Your input is important.

The District has updated its student transportation FAQ page with new information as a result of your feedback. For example, there is now a section about the status of hiring and training progress. This will help you understand how the District’s efforts to find bus drivers and bus attendants are going. Right now, more than 50 people have applied and are in the middle of the hiring process. Also, as of today, there are almost 160 bus routes covered out of more than 225. There is still a long way to go but the District is making great progress. ASD will update this useful information on a daily basis.

Right now, solving this problem is my top priority. All options remain on the table for solutions and the Administration is extensively exploring additional recommendations. We also continue to engage and meet with community partners for help. I hope to have an update on some of those soon. In the meantime, please work with your individual schools about routes and/or Q ParentConnect.

I am proud of our community and our staff for stepping up for our students. Thank you! I know how much of a hardship this may be for you.

Best,

Dr. Jharrett Bryantt, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Anchorage School District

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Good afternoon, ASD Families and Staff.

The District has new information to share regarding the rotating bus route schedule.  Your child’s bus information for the start of the school year is now viewable in Q ParentConnect. 

All General Education students eligible for transportation services will be affected by the rotating bus route schedule, which will begin the first day of school, August 18.

Here is a breakdown of rotating bus routes:

• Cohort means the group of buses receiving transportation for the assigned three weeks.
• • Cohort 1 (Bus #1-38) will receive bussing August 18 – September 9
  • Cohort 2 (Bus #39-77) will receive bussing September 12 – September 30
  • Cohort 3 (Bus #78-116) will receive bussing October 3 – October 20

If you have any questions about your student’s route or how to log into Q ParentConnect, please contact your child’s school directly. Front office staff are equipped to take your calls and can assist you.

A glimmer of good news to share–we’ve had an uptick in new applicants interested in joining our fleet, saying they want to help the effort to get our students to school. A number of additional new drivers are in training since my last message earlier this week.

Please know we are not leaving any stone unturned to fix this problem. I understand the rotating bus route service is a burden on families. Our goal is to stand down the bus route rotations as soon as we are able. This is a temporary solution. I’ve spent time this week meeting with community partners to look at how we can engage additional community resources to come to a long-term solution.

I’d like to give my most sincere thank you to families who have pulled together to begin organizing carpools, to those who have answered our call for drivers, and to our staff who have pivoted to help implement this large logistical lift. This community has rolled up its sleeves and is willing to do what it takes for our students to have a successful school year.

Please continue to check the website and FAQ page for new information. I will also continue to send text and email messages as needed. Thank you for your patience; I know how much of a hardship this may be for you.

Best,

Jharrett Bryantt, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Anchorage School District

 

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Dear ASD Families,

First, I want to thank you for your patience. We understand this situation directly impacts you and your ability to plan.

Next Thursday is the first day of school and you need to know what we can share at this time. Please understand that as soon as I was informed of the potential severity, I wanted you to know what I knew and I sent you a letter on August 3rd. It’s vital that you have as much information as we can deliver. 

Even though we continue to make progress retaining more and hiring new bus drivers, the situation isn’t improving fast enough. This will require adjustments to transportation service district-wide. That will happen in tandem with continuing to recruit staff and working towards restoring the level of service that our families expect in their school system.

Our District faces a severe shortage of bus drivers. Staff recruitment and retention is a national and growing problem across school districts. ASD is thinking outside of the box to find short-term and intermediate solutions. The District has implemented aggressive recruitment strategies, and they are starting to pay off. However, with the start of school a week away, we need to plan for the reality of today.

At this time, the District is unable to provide full-time bussing for all eligible students. The most equitable solution is to implement a Rotating Bus Route Plan. This will impact all general education students eligible for transportation services. This includes our JBER schools-this community is our highest priority to return to full service as soon as possible, given the disruptions and challenges they currently face with the Ursa Major Relocation Project. Special Education transportation will not be impacted at this time. 

All general education routes will be divided into three cohorts and provided bussing on a planned rotation. Each student cohort will receive three consecutive weeks of transportation. This means there will be six weeks between bus service for each cohort of routes. Additionally, routes have been condensed for efficiency, therefore students will be walking farther to bus stops than in prior years.

Bus route and cohort information will be available to families on Q ParentConnection by Saturday afternoon, Aug. 13 at 5 p.m.

The following web pages will be regularly updated to keep you informed with the latest information:

Transportation Hot Topics Page

Available Aug. 13: Find your route and cohort information on Parent Connect

Transportation Rotation Bus Route Plan FAQs 

We continue to work on solutions and that includes outreaching to our partners including the mayor’s office, who we met with this morning, for additional support through this crisis. I would like to make a community ask and a call to action for public service. You can support this community crisis in one of the following ways:

• Become a bus driver. If you or anyone you know would like to join our bus driver team, apply here.

• Carpool. Families can assist by carpooling to reduce student pick-up and drop-off congestion.

• Drive safe! I cannot emphasize enough how important it will be to look out for walkers; avoid main roads where schools are located during drop-off and pick-up times if possible.

These vacancies are not unique to Anchorage but they are something we need to tackle boldly. The District is committed to a successful year ahead and keeping our community informed as we address staffing challenges.

Best,

Jharrett Bryantt, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Anchorage School District

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Dear ASD Families and Staff,

Thank you for your patience. We understand the bus driver shortage in our Transportation Department directly impacts our families as you plan for the start of your school year.

The District is working rapidly to address the significant staffing shortfall we face.

Please join me in a livestream community update tomorrow at 2 p.m., Aug.10, where I and District administrators will share our strategy to address the bus staffing shortage in a way that minimizes disruption to our student’s educational programing and services.

Again, our live community update will be tomorrow, Wednesday August 10th at 2p.m. You can watch it on our back-to-school webpage. Just click on transportation. 

 

Best,

 Jharrett Bryantt, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Anchorage School District

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August 3, 2022

Dear ASD Families,

 

As we near the start of the 2022-23 school year, I’d like to provide new information regarding staffing challenges the District is facing in our Transportation Department. 

 

I am committed to providing you with the most up-to-date information so you can make the best decision for your family. This is highly complex and ongoing, which is why it’s critical I keep you informed.

 

Here’s what we know at this time:

 

• As of today, there are 75 bus drivers short of meeting our operational needs for bus transportation. 

• The Operations division is working through logistics to manage our routes given our staffing shortage.  

• This COULD result in temporary suspension of routes.  

• There are no foreseen interruptions to Special Education transportation services.

 

Our focus now is taking action to stem this attrition issue.

 

Here’s what we’ve completed to date:

 

• An incentive package for both new and existing bus drivers and bus attendants has been developed. This will simultaneously address recruitment and retention concerns.

• Bus drivers will receive up to $2,500 extra for the first semester of the 2022-23 school year.

• Bus attendants will be paid up to an extra $500 for the first semester of 2022-23.

 

If you or anyone you know would like to join our bus driver team, apply here.

 

I’d like to thank you for your cooperation as we work together for a strong school year ahead. The District is committed to addressing these operational challenges to ensure we fulfill our mission to educate all students for success in life. 

 

Best,

 

Jharrett Bryantt, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Anchorage School District