AMHERST — Some extremely long bus routes, a continuing shortage in drivers and making pick-ups at homes within walking distance of the elementary schools are among the reasons some students are arriving late for classes.
As the school year gets underway, Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman informed the Amherst School Committee last week that transportation has been a challenge for getting all children to school on time.
“I think out of all the operational things at the start of the school year that is causing us at the district level some chagrin, it is transportation at this point,” Herman said.
Herman said part of what she is seeing is that the district has strayed from its policy and instead created customized and personalized routes that are taking too long.
“It is not acceptable,” Herman said.
She and her team are reviewing routes and understand there will be strong feelings about any changes, such as consolidating stops, removing stops for those who live within 1-1/2 miles of a school and looking into whether there can be a centralized place for walkers to board buses.
“We are working to get that fixed, and we will be communicating what some of that looks like with the community,” Herman said.
FM Kuzmeskus, Inc. of Gill, has the contract for the elementary and regional routes.
“We’re working with our transportation provider to streamline our routes, especially in this time of a driver shortage,” Herman said.
A transfer bus remains in place to get some children who are part of the Caminantes dual language program at the new Amethyst Brook School, but don’t live close to the South East Street site, from their homes.
At Amethyst Brook, Principal Allison Estes said a few children, not just in Caminantes, are arriving at 8:30 a.m. and leaving at 2:15 p.m., meaning they are missing about 10 minutes of instructional time in the morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon.
Transportation to the new Chestnut Street Academy, where sixth graders are housed in the Amherst Regional Middle School, has also been difficult, with some arriving at 9:30 a.m., well after the 9 a.m. time they are supposed to be in their homerooms.
“It’s getting closer, but there’s a lot of room for improvement,” Principal Juan Rodriguez said.
The issue with transportation came in the midst of new school year updates from the principals, assistant principals and other administrators for the sites where children in preschool through sixth grade are educated.
Amherst sixth graders, as well as staff, are getting accustomed to being in the classrooms at the middle school after leaving their previous elementary schools, Crocker Farm, Wildwood and Fort River, Rodriguez said.
“We’ve really been focusing on establishing routines, and building culture and really solidifying what does it mean to be a student at Chestnut Street Academy, because this is a brand new experience for everyone,” Rodriguez said.
He said the school is almost at full staffing, with two paraeducators still left to be hired.
Assistant Principal Rich Ferro said the school has a tight-knit staff who have taken a chance on the new school, and he described its creation and learning environment as a fun experience.
“They really want to be there,” Ferro said.
The recess has been one of the difficulties, with the 135 or so students able to use the tennis courts and soccer field, and mix with their peers in other teams. But it’s not yet as robust as it could be, due to construction on the middle school roof keeping some areas off limits. The hope is to bring soccer nets and the GaGa Ball Pit down the hill from Wildwood School, and possibly picnic tables.
Ferro said teachers take attendance at 9 a.m. to get a sense of how many students are there on time, before they head off to specials at the first period. At the end of the day they stay in their classrooms to limit the mingling with the seventh and eighth graders before boarding the buses.
The school has eight classrooms, with Caminantes classes at around 13 students in each and the remainder averaging 17 students.
Rodriguez said a contest is getting started with current sixth graders to create a mascot for the school, which will be part of their legacy at Chestnut Street Academy.
At Amethsyt Brook, the new building opened this fall, Estes said 550 students are enrolled, with Caminantes averaging between 15 and 17 students and Dreamers having 21 and 22 per class at second grade, 24 to 25 per class in fourth grade, with others hovering in the 18 to 19 range. There are 30 classrooms and five classes per grade.
Estes talked about how the spirit of Fort River and Wildwood are being incorporated into the new school. Students also had to learn how to enter and exit the building when the school year began.
Both the Capacidad and Mark’s Meadow after-school programs are running from the site.
At Crocker Farm, there are 270 students in K-5, Principal Tammy Sullivan-Daley and Assistant Principal Alicia Lopez talked about continuing initiatives, like Red Carpet Thursdays, a way to bring joy to the children, Fist Bump Fridays and Mindful Mondays. Teachers are also incorporating Calm Classroom three times a day.
Lopez said staff sends out clear and consistent updates to families, greets students as they come off the buses, have classroom and schoolwide celebrations, and inivited guests, such as Applewood Apartments senior citizens who read to younger students and get interviewed by older students.
Nancy Manske, administrator of the Early Childhood Center housed at Crocker Farm, added a sixth classroom in the program this fall, with currently 57 students enrolled. This is expected to grow as a few more are part of the special education.
Herman thanked the leaders for having a dynamic start to the school year and bringing a passion for learning and children.
