Transportation Update

Thank you to the Ravenna Community as we continue to navigate the driver shortage that is plaguing not just the Ravenna School District, but is impacting school districts across the state and nation!  I wanted to provide you with an update about how we are dealing not only with the shortages, but also with the ongoing road closures.

First, and foremost, when we don’t have the full number of drivers available to cover our routes, we work to combine routes or utilize our substitute drivers to cover the routes.  This is always our goal – to accommodate pick up and drop off in some way.  The trade off may be some routes running a little behind.  When in addition to the existing shortages, a driver calls off due to illness, etc, we look to, again, combine routes.  If we don’t have the capacity to accommodate all the transportation needs, then we may need to cancel a route.  This is always a last resort.  If a route is canceled, students who are unable to attend school due to lack of transportation are marked as an excused absence, and are allowed to make up all work with no penalty.  We only ask that if that is the case that you call into the school and let them know about the situation.  We will continue to use ParentSquare to communicate any delays or cancellations.  You will receive a text message and an email; occasionally you may receive a voicemail.  We are committed to letting you know about any changes as soon as we can, providing you with as much time as possible to make arrangements.

You may have also noticed the road construction, road closures and detours.  These have certainly impacted our drivers’ ability to provide smooth pick ups and drop offs, however, our drivers have gone above and beyond to ensure that students are transported safely and in a timely manner.  We anticipate that most of the road work will be completed by the end of September, which will provide some relief.

I also wanted to provide you with the process to become a bus driver.  We do have some candidates going through the process to become licensed bus drivers. After applying at https://www.applitrack.com/…/JobPosting/view.asp the candidate is interviewed, has a background check (at district expense), and begins studying the CDL manual in preparation for taking the test to secure a temporary license. Once a candidate passes this first test they begin On Board Instruction (OBI), generally between 30-35 hours in length, provided by the district. After the OBI trainer determines they qualify for a bus certificate the candidate then attends a week-long class focused on state and federal laws relevant to bus drivers. Then and only then can the candidate take the CDL portion of the test at a cost of $115 (paid for by the district). When they pass the driving portion their paperwork is submitted to the state. Approval generally takes between 48-72 hours. At that time, our candidate can begin driving for the Ravenna School District! We currently have three candidates in the pipeline, and are anxiously awaiting the day they are ready to drive! We are looking for one to be available in about a week, and a second by the first week of October.

I will continue to update the website with Transportation Updates as things change – hopefully the next time you hear from me it will be with the news that we are fully staffed, the road work is completely finished, and all is well in the world!  

#RiseUpRavenna

Ravenna City Schools – Strategic Plan

The Ravenna School District has embarked on a journey to create a 3-5 year strategic plan to drive our work in the years going forward.  Many of you have already participated in some of the early work through data collection, focus groups and a community planning session.  When the Board of Education met in a work session in late November, they, along with other district leaders, used the information gathered through that early work to create a mission and vision statement and identified three areas to be addressed in the plan.

If you are interested in hearing more about our Strategic Planning process, or being involved in some way contact Dr. Laura Hebert, Superintendent of the Ravenna School District at laura.hebert@ravennaschools.us.