Clark County School District Allocates $5.6M for Buses and Drivers Ahead of August Start-Time Changes
As of August, all students in the Clark County School District will have school hours that start earlier in the morning and finish later in the evening than they do…
As of August, all students in the Clark County School District will have school hours that start earlier in the morning and finish later in the evening than they do now. The new school start time implementation is designed to improve student health, safety, and academic performance while increasing bus capacity throughout the district. This change will require significant replanning of bus schedules, routes, drivers, and buses used to implement the new bell schedule.
"We do operate the nation's largest school bus fleet, transporting over 120,000 students daily, servicing 31,000 stops," said CCSD Deputy Superintendent Dr. Jesse Welsh.
Superintendent Jhone Ebert has emphasized that the change is centered on student outcomes. "The decision to adjust start times is a commitment to student health, safety, and academic achievement," she said. Parents and community members, however, have raised concerns about how the changes may affect work schedules and daily logistics, with transportation remaining a critical issue.
"Where's that money coming from? What budget will this come from because there's many things that's going to be affected?" asked community advocate Abraham Camejo.
District officials say the funding plan avoids impacts to individual school budgets. "For the buses themselves, they will be coming from our bond funds," said Ebert. "So that is not out of general funds. For the operating costs, the $5.1 million, that will be for staffing as well as the maintenance of the additional buses."
CCSD is investing $5.6 million in a one-time payment and approximately $5.1 million annually to support the start-time changes for the 2026-2027 school year. The investment includes 26 additional buses and the hiring of 51 new bus drivers to accommodate revised routes and schedules.
"The Transportation Department has already been working with Human Resources to recruit new drivers throughout the spring and summer to account for normal attrition, as well as the additional 51 positions needed to accommodate the change to school start times."
At the start of the year, the district reported about 40 driver vacancies; currently, it lists 10, reflecting progress from targeted recruitment. Final bell schedules will be posted on ccsd.net and school sites in April, with eligible riders receiving routing details through Parentlink in July.
