Driver Shortages Leave Students Waiting, Chronic Absenteeism Solutions Explored

Transportation challenges continue to strain the Churchill County School District, leaving nearly 180 students still on a waiting list for bus service.

At the Sept. 17 meeting of the School Board of Trustees, Superintendent Derild Parsons reported that the district began the school year with 368 students waiting for transportation. About 200 have since been placed on routes, but 178 remain without service, forcing families to find alternatives.

The district currently moves about 1,300 students daily—roughly 42 percent of the student population of 3,106. Routes have been consolidated to maximize capacity, and an in-town route now shuttles students to afterschool programs. Trustees approved hiring three new drivers in the past two months, though shortages persist.

“We’re short on drivers,” Parsons told the board. This school year, only 13 buses are in operation due to the driver shortage, compared to 17 and 15 in the past two years. During the 2023-2024 school year, the district resorted to rotating week-long route blackouts beginning in January to manage the shortfall.

Transportation is available to all K-12 students in Churchill County, though most K-8 students living within a half-mile of a school inside city limits must walk. To fill driver vacancies, the district has stepped up recruiting through social media campaigns and newsletters, while relying on substitute drivers daily.

Trustee Kathryn Whitaker asked whether transportation problems are contributing to the district’s chronic absenteeism. Parsons said the issue is under review, though the district’s focus remains on high school students at risk of not graduating. “Once it’s brought to our attention, we’re resolved to find a solution,” he said, while noting that it is ultimately parents’ responsibility to ensure attendance.

According to the Nevada Report Card, chronic absenteeism across the district reached an estimated 30 percent last school year. Elementary schools reported absentee rates of 23 percent or lower, while the middle school recorded nearly 27 percent and the high school 40.9 percent. High school absenteeism has hovered around 40 percent for the past five years, peaking at 42.8 percent in 2022-2023. The state’s chronic absenteeism rate sits at 26.6 percent for the 2024- 2025 school year, according to the Nevada Report Card.