The school bell rings. Busy students come busting out of Troy High School and onto the bus loop. Melissa Curth, Assistant Principal of Troy High School, is directing the students to their buses. One bus comes, then another, then another. They load up and leave, all in a choreographed frenzy, but something is amiss. Some buses are filled to the brim with students, while others have as few as ten students riding. But why is this so? The answer might be a bit more interesting than one would initially think.
Karl Schmidt is the sitting chairman for the Troy Board of Education, the governing body for Troy School District. He has previously pushed for bussing reform. In 2022, the board pushed for later start times. He offered some insight into the bussing situation. In an interview, he stated, “We know about the disparity and problems with bussing. We need to guarantee everyone who wants transportation a spot. The problem is that some people just don’t take the bus.”
Before every school year, the district sends out a survey requesting what students wish to receive transportation. If a family responds that they intend to receive transportation, they are reserved a seat, similar to on an airplane or in a theater. The problem is that they reserved that seat even if they don’t use their seat. Curth, who often ushers students to buses, witnesses this happen daily. She states, “I certainly notice a difference between buses, and it can be pretty big at times.”
According to Schmidt, the perfect solution would be to buy three million dollars worth of buses, plus an extra two million dollars per year spent on maintenance and driver expenses. Schmidt has been approached by teachers, administrators, parents and students in the past regarding both overcrowding and start times. He stated, “We know what we are doing is wrong, but unless we can sustain that change, we just need to wait.”
What about the bond that was passed in 2022? The Troy 2022 Bond Application states that $12 million will be put towards buses. However, this still doesn’t cover operating and driver costs, and that will be a yearly expense that will have to be considered. Will justice be brought to the passengers of Troy High School busses? Only time will tell.
