Moulton to start school with one less bus route

Citing difficulty finding drivers and a history of far too many discipline problems, Moulton schools will no longer run an in-town bus route, starting the 2022-23 school year, trustees decided last month.

School superintendent Renee Fairchild brought the issue before the school board when it met Wednesday, July 13.

“There are multiple reasons,” she said. “For starters, we have several students who live very close by.”

No doubt, Moulton athletics, transportation and maintenance director Kevin Fishbeck said. It wasn’t uncommon for the bus to make a stop or two, all within about a block of the school. Part of that came as a result of new protocols set in place with the reopening of schools after their months-long COVID closures, but in any case, it’s simply not needed now, he said.

Add to that a limited number of bus drivers, not just in Moulton but statewide, and the fact that the town route especially had multiple discipline problems in the past—so much they would likely need another adult aboard just to deal that aspect—and Fairchild suggested they either eliminate it entirely or find some other alternative. 

With such a nearby route as well, it kept the school from qualifying for state funds that are available specifically for buses and transportation. That’s only available to schools where kids live beyond two miles out, she said.

“I personally would like to start the year off without a town bus, which means parents will need to make other arrangements to pick up and drop off their children,” Fairchild said. “That’s always much easier to begin with a new school year than it is to implement afterward.”

Trustees unanimously gave their full support.

Fishbeck said that after the school year began, they might consider possibly adding a drop or two with the country bus routes for students who live off Highway 95, but they would otherwise move forward without any stops inside Moulton proper to start the year.