CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi ISD is changing start times at several campuses weeks before students return to class, a move district officials say is necessary due to an ongoing bus driver shortage.
After closing seven campuses, the district added 23 new bus routes, prompting adjustments to bell schedules across multiple schools.
Three campuses will start 20 minutes later — at 8:10 a.m. instead of 7:50 a.m.: the Early Childhood Development Center, Metro Elementary School of Design, and Windsor Park Elementary. All middle schools except Metro Prep will start 20 minutes earlier, shifting from 8:50 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Karen Griffith, deputy superintendent for business and support services, said the changes are designed to get students to school safely and on time.
"So we did have to alter our bell schedule and so many districts our size do altered schedules and so we decided to go to that to best serve the needs of our students and getting them to school on time safely and effectively," Griffith said.
A shortage of qualified bus drivers is at the root of the scheduling changes, Griffith said, adding that competition from private employers is making it harder to recruit drivers.
"It's a shortage. We're having a bus driver shortage across the state, and in order to be a bus driver, you do have to have a CDL and in most cases we do train for to get your CDL, but when you compare us to the market, which means like the Amazon driver. Or other CDL they're going to pay a lot more," Griffith said.
Before finalizing the new schedule, the district surveyed parents this spring and made adjustments based on their feedback. Griffith said it may take families a few weeks to adjust but expects the transition to get easier.
"Students can enter the building 20 minutes prior to the start time… they can get their kids dropped off before 8 o'clock. And it gives them time to get to the middle schools and high schools," Griffith said.
Griffith also acknowledged the difficulty of the transition for families.
"I appreciate, you know, their patience through this process. It is a struggle, you know, right now to make sure we, that's what we want to make sure is that we can get our kids to school safely and effectively and efficiently," Griffith said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
