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The Barrow County School System bus drivers will do a practice run Friday. Photo by Jessica Brown

Buses routes reorganized, RIFs and layoffs take place

Posted by

Susan Norman

in Top Stories & Breaking News, Winder Archives

Thursday, July 29. 2010

Comments (13)

Days before the new transportation director for Barrow County Schools came on board Tuesday, four bus drivers and three bus monitors were laid off in a cost-saving consolidation of bus routes.

“We are looking for ways to be more efficient, and we’ve done that in the bus routing system,” said Jake Grant, assistant superintendent for facilities and operations.

“We’ve gone from 120 regular-ed bus routes down to 107 bus routes; and for special needs, from 24 down to 20.”

The drivers and monitors were laid off last week.

The consolidation of bus routes means the county’s school buses will carry more students and bus routes will change for the new school year that starts Monday.

Grant said drivers are making dry runs of their new routes early Friday morning and parents are encouraged to watch for the buses that morning and to note arrival times.

Also, the routes will be posted at each of the schools this week for open house. And route information is available online at the school system’s newly revamped website at www.barrow.k12.ga.us, he said.

“It will tell parents where the bus stop is, what time the kids will be picked up, and what time the bus returns in the afternoon,” Grant said.

For more on this story, see the July 28 edition of the Barrow Journal or click here to read the full story online when you subscribe to our new e-edition.

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#1 funny, i remember on the barrow citizen watch blog on 07/29/10 at 08:49 AM [Reply]

someone (i assume was the boe) bashing the 4 day work week saying bus drivers would lose 20% of their pay. well i'd take that over having lost my job. thanks a million boe

#2 Sandra on 07/29/10 at 08:58 AM [Reply]

Open house is on Thursday from 7am-11am. Not Friday.

#3 Lost on 07/30/10 at 11:05 AM [Reply]

What the county has wasted money on things it really didn't need. And now they can't afford to pay their bus drivers. Well if they would stop trying to stay up with the Jones,they could afford to pay their employees. The new buses could have been done without. If their full time county employees that work on them can't keep them up. If the buses are falling apart then they need to keep them up. If they are not over ten years old then they need to keep them on the road.

#4 Jimmy on 08/01/10 at 10:11 AM [Reply]

the reorganized bus routes was a waste of time and money. There was nothing with the way they were. Also there is a school one and miles from my house and my grandkids have to be bused six miles to another school. That is stupid of the BOE. If you live that close to a school why going across the county to another school. For instance if you have children in the first to sixth grade and live in Auburn less than three mile of the school why go to Yargo. That is stupid on the boards account. Also the buying of new buses that was a waste of funds.They didn't have tinted windows and air conditioning when I went to school. There also wasn't two way radios in them, the driver has a cell phone these days.If it breaks down, there is to much of the trying to keep up with the Jones going on.

#4.1 Anonymous on 08/04/10 at 12:24 PM [Reply]

The county doesn't pay our cell phone bills,also it is illegal to use cp on the bus, the 2 way radio is our lifeline! Alot of special needs drivers and monitors use their own cell phones to contact our parents if they need to reach them to met us at the end of drive way or road we can't travel down. Our monitors make these calls for us!

#5 Jim on 08/02/10 at 07:13 AM [Reply]

The BOE waste fuel With it's bus routes. Tell the parents why you feel the need to make two trips in the same direction to pick up the children instead of one trip. This fuel to make two trips is a waste of taxpayer dollars that could be spent elsewhere. The BOE wants to say there is a budget short fall, well there is part of it.

#6 Anonymous on 08/02/10 at 07:54 PM [Reply]

Wow it's sad that some get on here and don't get facts first. Barrow school bus's don"t have air on any of them but the 24 special ed. Bus's and the tinted windows help keep the bus cooler as does the white top does . Also zones are set to help with overcrowed schools and try keep bus under the legal limit . My hats off to the Barrow bus drivers

#7 Jim on 08/04/10 at 06:47 PM [Reply]

Well anonymous it wasn't that way when I went to school so why should there tinted windows and white roofs on buses now. They aren't any cooler now than they were when I went to school. They keep saying there is a budget short fail. All these special things that weren't done 20 years ago. Need to as they were then. I have two grandsons that ride the bus.

#8 Anonymous on 08/05/10 at 09:07 AM [Reply]

does any parents find it as unsafe as I do that there are kids sitting 5 to a seat on a bus??? This is not safe. If I were to pack 5 kids to a seat in my car I would get a ticket. We need our buses.

#9 Jim on 08/05/10 at 09:47 AM [Reply]

All right anonymous when I was in school in Barrow County and rode the bus there was times when there wasn't any room to sit down. But the bus driver managed to get everyone home safe. Not my fault you drive a compact car. Grow up things this day and time is let's see just how much money we can waste. It doesn't matter that there are kids that have homework and chores to do before bedtime. Let's see just how long after school lets out that we get them home. When I went to school we got out at 3 and were home by 3:45 all the way from 5Th Ave. in Winder to Appalachee Church Road in Auburn. With High school students and middle school. Now there seems to be a problem putting them all on the same bus. Now this has really gotten stupid with the buses having to going the same way twice to get students home. Seeing how there are schools next door to each other.

#9.1 Jack Legg on 08/05/10 at 02:27 PM [Reply]

Jimn ,you are a dumbass stop posting on here or at least learn how to spell first, I hope your high school english teacher is proud!

#9.2 Anonymous on 08/05/10 at 03:03 PM [Reply]

I drive an suv, check the news and see about the bus crash in Missouri. Now my kids took a similar trip to Six Flags sitting 5 to a seat to save on buses. If that wreck had happened here, more than 2 would be dead..
Also, if the schools and parents would get a hold on the bullying then there would not be a problem with high schoolers and middle schoolers on the same bus.

#10 Anonymous on 08/05/10 at 06:11 PM [Reply]

Lord i'm amazed some ya need check facts first barrow county schools runs an elem. Route then comes back threw and runs a high /middle school route so ya said middle doesn"t ride with high school need get facts . I know this for a fact after 14 years as a bus driver .

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