Durham’s contract with Roanoke City Schools is up at the end of this school year.
Superintendent Verletta White said they have a lot to consider when it comes to accepting a new contract, including considering if the school system should run its own buses.
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But, more students are getting to school on time after weeks of transportation issues.
White and other school leaders held a virtual town hall Wednesday night to address concerns from parents and staff.
They said Durham School Services needs more drivers.
Durham needs a total of 119 drivers to run all routes on time, but right now, they only have 99.
She said sometimes the solution for the school division creates another issue for Durham.
“You reached out to us and you said, ‘The bus is late and my kid is on the bus too long,’” White said. “So when we saw that length of time, we had to split routes. But when you split routes, now you need two drivers instead of one. So then that increases the need for more drivers.”
Durham is fined each time buses are late and that amount is deducted from the total contract amount with Durham.