Parents hope to solve dilemma after district cancels general education bus service
A brain trust of Malibu parents and city leaders are proposing solutions to what the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District said it was unable to do — offer general education bus service to Malibu students.
Malibu families who for decades have relied on what parent leaders call a “fundamental school service” for general education bus transportation where stunned by a SMMUSD email announcement June 25 notifying parents that due to a severe bus driver shortage the district would be unable to provide bus rides to Malibu schools at the start of the upcoming year beginning Aug. 22. There is currently no general education bus service for Santa Monica students offered by the district. Students receiving special education services in either city will not be affected.
On July 10, concerned Malibu parents and Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton met.
Shelton explained the district’s problems in recruiting and hiring new drivers. But a group of determined Malibu parents met with sympathetic city leaders last week to brainstorm solutions and they have presented two options to the district for approval.
On July 22, two options were delivered to SMMUSD officials for consideration as a solution to getting Malibu kids across town to Webster Elementary and Malibu Middle and Malibu High School. The first option is to hire a bus company that already has an existing contract with the district for bus service in Santa Monica. District officials had earlier claimed there was a deficit of drivers and that many of the nine contracted bus companies they use are often unreliable, taking bigger jobs at the last minute, leaving SMMUSD students stranded and often without notice.
But the parent group says at least one contracted company says it does have a surplus of certified drivers. That bus company has also submitted an offer for full service solely for Malibu routes.
The second option has two other bus companies that also have present contracts with SMMUSD submitting new bids for the district to consider. As of July 26, the district had only responded that they had received the proposed options from the Malibu group, but had not yet responded with a definitive answer. A source did confirm that SMMUSD officials are contacting the transportation companies, reviewing bids, and assessing what may be possible. That process could take a few more days.
The group of concerned parents, which includes MHS/MMS PTSA President Kevin Keegan and AMPS (Advocates for Malibu Public Schools) President Wade Major, said they are optimistic that a solution will be made available in time for the first day of school scheduled Aug. 22.
In an email, Keegan wrote: “The bottom line is, we believe SMMUSD is accountable and responsible for providing the general education bus service to Malibu families and students who are enrolled in Malibu public schools, especially those students with a track record of using this bus service and families who were told the bus service will be provided.
“SMMUSD has the budget to provide general education bus service in 2024-25. The existing budget underscores SMMUSD’s responsibility to ensure the service is operational by the start of the school year.
“What Malibu parent leaders who stepped up to help solve this problem have proven is simply that options, alternative short-term solutions exist. The primary challenge SMMUSD has shared, which is essentially that recent bus driver recruitment efforts have failed, does not abdicate the responsibility to provide the service.
“Transferring the burden of this responsibility to parents on one of the most dangerous primary access roads to schools in California [PCH] struck us in Malibu as unacceptable.
“This is not about national trends or other inconveniences. This about potential disruptions to families’ lives. This is about students being unfairly removed from the system. This is about parents being burdened with unnecessary stress. And this is about many teachers being uncertain of what their classroom rosters will be.
“SMMUSD’s announced potential cancellation of general education bus service is not solely about administrative challenges. The heart of the matter is the potential negative impact on students, parents, teachers, and families.
“Dozens of enrolled students and their parents are anxiously awaiting the announcement of a resolution. That is why we (Malibu parent leaders) are working hard to find creative solutions and, at the moment, we are encouraged that SMMUSD responded timely and earnestly this week.”
The Malibu Times will continue to report updates.