JCPS announces most TARC drivers finally certified, could restore magnet

Busing could be restored for some magnet school students in a couple months, according to a release Monday from Jefferson County Public Schools.

A total of 68 former TARC drivers are now certified to drive school buses, a number that could allow JCPS leaders to renew routes that had been cut at the start of this school year in order to provide on-time service to the majority of bus riders. About 18,000 students lost access to transportation this year, and about 2,600 could have it returned, if board members choose to restore routes to some magnet schools.

This news comes one day before the deadline to apply to magnet schools for the upcoming school year.

More: How JCPS wants to change Kentucky’s testing process to help immigrants become bus drivers

The potential restoration of routes, though, is still several weeks away. Board members could vote on it at their next meeting Jan. 26.

“My thoughts are that the most important thing for us to do right now is to maintain on-time service of students to school,” board co-chair James Craig previously said about restoring routes. “If we can add more routes and still maintain on-time service, then we should consider it. And if we can’t … then we should not.”

If approved, the district would still need another six weeks before changes could be implemented, according to the release.

In order to restore more routes, families would need to be surveyed to see who wants busing, then drivers would need to bid on which routes they prefer and have time to practice the routes they are awarded.

Simultaneously, some students relying on the city’s public transit system could be faced with another obstacle as TARC is set to decrease its service

The TARC drivers were expected to have received the needed certification to drive for JCPS in September, but many did not initially pass their exams, according to JCPS.

Krista Johnson covers education and children. Have story ideas or questions? Contact her at kjohnson3@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: JCPS announces most TARC drivers finally certified, could restore magnet busing

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