Clever school district moving to designated bus stops for pickups

Not all student bus riders in the Clever R-V School District will be picked up and dropped off in front of their homes.

Starting this summer, the district in Christian County will transition to designated bus stops and away from door-to-door pickups.

Superintendent Brian Breeden urged families, especially those living in the city limits, to review their bus stop location for the 2026-27 year.

He said relatively flat state funding, growing costs and recent changes to student transportation rules prompted the move, which was piloted during summer school.

“Transportation costs have increased significantly in recent years due to rising labor costs, vehicle maintenance expenses, fuel prices, insurance costs and the ongoing challenge of recruiting and retaining qualified bus drivers,” Breeden said. “At the same time, transportation funding from the state does not fully cover the actual cost of transporting students.”

An estimated 500 students, or nearly 42%, rely on the bus to get to and from school each day, according to the district.

Breeden said while developing the 2027 fiscal year budget, the district reviewed bus routes, ridership patterns, bus route efficiency and safety.

He said one bus route was eliminated and some routes were remapped.

“These transportation adjustments were made proactively as part of long-term financial planning and operational review rather than in response to a financial crisis,” he said.

Families will be notified of the time and location where students will be picked up. Students are expected to arrive at their assigned stop at least five minutes before the scheduled pickup time.

“For some families, this means students may walk a short distance to an assigned bus stop rather than receiving individual door-to-door service,” he said.