SEYMOUR — The Board of Education is working to combat a shortage of school bus drivers and substitute teachers, as well as a way to bolster communication with parents.
Those were some of the topics discussed during the board’s Sept. 13 meeting. Here’s a recap:
Substitute Teacher Shortage
The board unanimously approved hiring building interns for each of the district’s four schools. This was done to help combat a waning pool of substitute teachers. School officials said Seymour, like other districts, is having difficulty attracting substitutes. A few years back, Seymour had interns in the schools, but money was since cut from the budget, according to Associate Superintendent of Schools Vonda Tencza. The plan is to work with area colleges and universities to find students pursuing educational majors, and those with four-year degrees working on their masters, to fill the intern positions.
Superintendent of Schools Susan Compton said the interns would earn $80 an hour. (Correction: $80 PER DAY). Compton, who was just recently hired to replace former Superintendent of Schools Michael Wilson, learned that Seymour’s track record with past interns worked out great.
“According to the past history with the district, they were found to have incredible value with our previous intern experiences and we are excited and full of gratitude that the Board of Education has supported the roles of interns in our buildings again this year,” Compton said. “They offer a consistent presence with our students and an educational lens that not all of our day to day substitutes have.”
Business Manager Search Continues
The search to find a new school business manager is continuing. Compton said 15 people applied since the job was posted back in February, following the departure of former business manager Sherry Holmes. Compton said more interviews are slated for next week. She hopes to bring a recommendation to hire someone to the full board during its next meeting Oct. 4.
“We are confident that we will soon secure and appoint a full time and permanent business manager,” Compton said.
Back to School Bus Shortage
Seymour, like many school districts across the country, is experiencing a major shortage of bus drivers. The district’s school bus provider is All-Star Transportation, and its manager, Steve Gardner, discussed the problem with the board.
“This is the worst school bus driver shortage this nation has ever seen,” Gardener said “We lost 15 to 20 percent of our drivers in Connecticut alone since the start of COVID. At the moment, we’re (All-Star) short 126 drivers. We’re doing the best we can. We’re doubling up on routes. We just lost three drivers (in Seymour). It’s a struggle.”
Gardner said All-Star launched an aggressive recruiting campaign this summer.
“Massachusetts pulled in the National Guard to help,” Gardner noted. “We’re not there, but we’ve been able to combine a couple of routes to help.”
Gardner said Seymour had 15 buses in use each day, but is now down to 13, due to the driver shortage, forcing some routes to be combined.
The problem with combining routes, however, is it makes the bus ride to and from school longer.
Bungay School Principal Mary Sue Feige said some of the buses are arriving 15 minutes or more late for the afternoon pick-up of elementary school students, but said parents are notified immediately to let them know.
School officials said one thing that could be helpful is if parents are planning to drive their kids to school each day, they can voluntarily opt out of having their kids ride the bus, which could help eliminate some stops. Parents can contact Central Office at 203 – 888-4564 for more information.
Opening up Lines of Communication
As Compton begins to learn the ins and the outs of the district, she’s making an effort to ensure parents remain informed of what’s happening. To that end, she is looking to form a Communication Advisory Council.
“The overall purpose of the Seymour Public Schools Communication Advisory Council is to have input and suggestions ongoing on how to improve the overall communication with the school system,” Compton said. “This was another one of the priorities that the Board of Education has prioritized, as well as myself, in how we can improve communication.”
Compton is looking for parents and community members alike to serve on the council.
“I have used this in my former districts, and I have always found it to be a wonderful advisory group and it was definitely a great way to improve communication,” Compton added. “You have to get the pulse of the school community, and this form of a communication advisory council can be a key component in being a vehicle to help you get there as a school district. We always know that communication can be improved upon and that is with any school system.”
Board Chairman Nabs State Honor
Board Chairman Ed Strumello was feted by his fellow board members for being chosen for the Connecticut Association of School’s “Distinguished Friend of Education” award. Strumello spent more than three decades in education in neighboring Ansonia as principal of Mead School. He came to Seymour schools in 2003, hired as the athletic director, and later serving as principal of Bungay School. Strumello has served on the school board since first elected in 2008.
The CAS award is annually handed out to a person, organization or corporation for outstanding service to education in Connecticut.
“It’s very nice to be recognized for all these years of service,” Strumello said.
