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YOUNGSTOWN -- LaToya Fornore is frustrated by what she and others see as a series of disconnects that hold the wheels on the vehicle of transportation.
"I just want the district to do better," Fornore, a parent-youth ambassador with the Boardman-based Early Childhood Resource Center, said.
Fornore was referring to what she and a series of parents who spoke during the Youngstown Board of Education's regular meeting Tuesday at Youngstown Rayen Early College High School view as major transportation problems in the early school year.
Fornore also acts as a parent and family advocate who helps them find and navigate helpful resources, as well as know and better understand their rights, she said.
Before the board meeting, Fornore's inbox was filled with requests from district families wanting answers to some of the transportation-related problems, she said.
The issue also is affecting Fornore personally, she said. One of her daughters attends All Children Learn Differently School & Learning Center, and the other is a student at St. Joseph the Provider School, yet neither Youngstown school has received information pertaining to busing her daughters, one of whom is on the autism spectrum and was deemed "impractical" for transportation, she said. Fornore added that one of the schools went from having five buses to two.
Fornore's frustrations also echoed many of those that parents articulated during the meeting's public comments portion, including claims that Peterman Bus Co. is failing to uphold several promises it had made soon after the district approved a partnership with the private company in late May to provide student transportation services beginning this school year. Another parent complained that the bus to pick up and drop off her child has been consistently late.
One mother told the board that her 7-year-old son, who's in third grade, had no transportation snafus during his first three years as a student in the district. This year, however, she was informed that he no longer qualifies for transportation -- something that violates a section of the Ohio Revised Code that she read aloud.
Beforehand, the mother tried for weeks to contact the company about the problem, but to no avail, she added.
The list of concerns others expressed focused primarily on the ongoing bus driver shortage, certain bus stops being moved, some students having to walk long distances and across busy thoroughfares to a transportation hub and whether Peterman Bus took steps to properly vet drivers.
Also addressing the board to offer her services in an effort to bridge some of the transportation gaps was Claire Hawkins, who owns and operates TCT Transportation Co. of Youngstown.
The business, established in 2022, is preparing a team of bus drivers to accommodate the district's transportation needs, but it needs grant money and a partnership with the board, she said in her comments.
TCT Transportation has contracts with area nursing homes, community centers, schools and employees, Hawkins noted.
Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor said that Peterman Bus hired drivers after they passed a background check and fulfilled other standard requirements. In a sense, the district temporarily "laid off" its drivers via removing them from its payroll to Peterman's, a move that had been discussed during the summer, he noted.
The driving force behind entering into a partnership with Peterman was that much of the transportation system's previous model was inefficient and unsustainable, including certain city bus routes. The collaboration with the company has had some early hiccups and miscommunications, but transportation will improve in the long run, Batchelor said, adding that in an effort to ease the driver shortage, Peterman brought in 14 additional drivers from outside the area.
"Communication is the food that feeds us all," the superintendent added.
That piece also is essential in quelling the parents' worries and frustrations, as well as ensuring they have correct information, Fornore said.
"A step in the right direction is communication that is effective with parents. Meet the parents where they are," she added.
It's also crucial to not assume that apathy is keeping a large number of them from attending regular board sessions. Many of the parents work, have disabilities and other challenges that prevent them from attending, Fornore continued.
Also at Tuesday's session, board President Juanita Walker announced a special community meeting the board is hosting that is set for 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 20 at Choffin Career & Technical Center, 200 E. Wood St., downtown. The two-hour gathering will focus on board leadership, district priorities, community dialogue and collaboration, and a discussion pertaining to the manner in which the board of education operates.