MANCHESTER, N.H. – Between suspended charter school bus service, students being forced to sit on the floor, budget cutback stress, and various other issues, the Manchester School District’s bus system has been facing criticism in recent years. Earlier this month, reports from less embattled school bus network aimed to provide ideas for improvement.
During the November meeting of the Manchester Board of School Committee’s (BOSC) Committee on Finance and Facilities, Manchester School District Assistant Superintendent provided feedback from her study of the school transportation system in Worcester, Mass.
Espinola told the committee that Worcester uses geographic data to optimize routes and strategically places its largest stops to increase efficiency. Worcester’s school system also has invested in its transportation needs more than Manchester and added to that investment with the use of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding following the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic to restore and retain its bus driver corps. Manchester did not use ESSER funding in this way…