Busing cuts for Greenville Questar students met with pushback

GREENVILLE―Pushback against the Greenville Central School District’s decision to cut door-to-door morning transportation for Questar III students has taken form in a petition that, as of Tuesday night, had collected more than 220 signatures.

But the district maintains that its hands are tied due to a shortage of bus drivers.

The announcement came in an August 20 letter to families from Superintendent of Schools Rachel S. Anderson who explained that starting in September, Greenville will continue to provide a bus to and from the high school and the Donald R. Kline Technical School in Hudson. But early morning pick-up at a student’s home will not be offered as it has traditionally been.

“Families of students who are enrolled in the morning Questar program at Hudson will be responsible for providing transportation to Greenville High School by 7:15 a.m.,” Anderson explained.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) requires that the district offer transportation for these students, but only back and forth between the school and Questar.

For many families, getting their students to the high school every morning is not “a realistic or sustainable solution,” stated Louise Goetz, who started the online petition.

“This creates unnecessary stress for parents and can interfere with students’ ability to consistently and reliably access their education,” noted Goetz.

“We understand that the district is dealing with transportation shortages and that some circumstances may be beyond its immediate control,” Goetz continued. “However, families should not be left without a reliable way to get their children to the district in order to access transportation to their educational program.”

Questar III’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at the Hudson campus range from automotive technology to welding and culinary arts for juniors and seniors.

GCS Communications Specialist Sierra Pizzola said Tuesday that 29 students attend Questar programs in Hudson―seven of whom told the district they would self-transport to high school, while the rest indicated a need for transportation.

A smaller number of students attend off-campus programs in locations other than Hudson, including the Questar III & HVCC STEM High School in Troy. They will continue to receive door-to-door transportation, Pizzola said, because those routes run are nearly an hour earlier than the Hudson Questar route and a driver was available.

“Questar routes are contractually considered an ‘extra-run.’ Therefore, contractually, we cannot assign a driver to the run―they have to sign up for it,” Pizzola explained.

Going into the new school year, GCS is already short three bus drivers, she pointed out.

“Our transportation supervisor, dispatcher, and mechanic are all going out on routes to cover,” Pizzola said.

The district has looked into hiring a private company to pick up morning Questar students at their homes. But staffing issues are impacting them, too.

“We contacted multiple companies and they all got back to us saying they do not have the capacity to take on this run,” Pizzola said.

Some parents have also questioned why, under the circumstances, the district needs to purchase six new diesel buses, approved in a proposition as part of the May budget vote.

“The bus bond that was voted on in May did not add any new routes or drivers, it simply allowed for the purchase of buses to replace aging ones,” said Pizzola.

One of the challenges is that the Greenville Central School District is 125 square miles, encompassing all or part of 12 towns in three counties.

And the bus driver shortage is not unique to Greenville or a new problem.

“In the past five years, we have condensed eight routes and last year we had to get rid of our late bus routes―all because of the driver shortage,” Pizzola said, adding that the district has actively been trying to recruit new drivers.

Last month the district hosted a job fair, though they continuously hire year-round. They have reached out to retired drivers to come back and advertise for help wanted on the district website, digital outdoor signs, and on an actual bus parked at the elementary school.

“We will pay for someone to get their CDL and pay them throughout training,” Pizzola said.

But the driver scarcity persists.

The Economic Policy Institute reported that as of August of 2025, there were 21,200 fewer school bus drivers employed nationwide than there were six years earlier, representing a decrease of about 9.5 percent.

According to the hiring support company Radar that works with school districts and youth-serving organizations, there are two main reasons: split shifts being less desirable for workers and other more desirable options out there for CDL holders.

“We are asking the district to work with affected families to find a reasonable and dependable solution, whether through available transportation resources, alternative arrangements, or another plan that ensures students can get to the district in time to access the Questar bus,” Goetz urged.

Anderson said she understands that the change may create challenges for some families and the district is working to find a solution.

“We are open to ideas and willing to get creative,” said Pizzola.