Transportation woes seem to be lessening for the Rondout Valley Central School District. At the Board of Education’s mid-September meeting, members requested data about how many students are riding the buses and how much time those students are spending on the bus. At the most recent meeting, this information was presented by transportation supervisor Annemarie Holden.

Additional buses were added to both elementary schools: two to Kerhonkson and four to Marbletown, helping to ensure adequate space for riders and decrease ride times. Main campus bus routes have yet to be reviewed. Though all routes continue to be covered, driver availability continues to be an issue in part due to a new mandate requiring weekly COVID testing for unvaccinated drivers.

The data for the school’s main campus and both elementary schools indicates that the vast majority of students are spending less than 30 minutes on the bus. Morning and afternoon routes for the main campus buses have an average of 48 riders on 23 buses. Kerhonkson Elementary routes have an average of 26 riders on seven buses and Marbletown Elementary routes have an average of 21 riders on 11 buses. While there are still some lingering reports and concerns about ride times and crowding, the data seems to indicate that improvements are well underway.

In other news, one of two student board members was sworn in at the meeting. The two students serving in this role are Tanner Poremba and Emily Bartolone. Student board members must be juniors or seniors; student members will be trained to act as representatives for the entire student body, meeting with elementary and middle school students, directly and relaying their needs, concerns, and interests back to the board. This program will be gaining momentum as the board plans to clarify their objectives and goal through policy.