school bus

Claudene Wilson drove and cleaned up after multiple generations of students in the Swedeborg School District. As she enters a partial retirement, the district voted to honor her commitment by naming a K-8 elementary building in her honor.

Sister Berta Sailer, one of Kansas City's greatest advocates for disadvantaged chidlren, died last week at 87. In the 1960s, she opened an at-home day care that eventually grew to become Operation Breakthrough. Plus: A rural Missouri school district is one of the first in the U.S. to receive electric buses from a new EPA program.

The Environmental Protection Agency is beginning to send nearly 5,000 electric buses to school districts around the country after a nearly two-year ramp-up. A few Midwestern districts weigh in on how the new buses are working so far.

In Missouri, just under 25% of its Head Start centers are within a walkable distance from a public transit spot — making the early childhood program less accessible to families without reliable transportation.

To help solve Missouri's shortage of school staff, Gov. Mike Parson signed legislation last week that allows educators to work full-time for a district without losing their retirement benefits. The law also affects positions like bus drivers and janitors.

Maxine Mitchell, a bus driver for UMKC and local school districts, says she's grateful to have students returning to her routes, but she's noticed changes in behaviors since the pandemic began.

School staffing agencies say they're "staying above water" for now, but if more workers take time off over the flu and holiday season, schools could be strained to a breaking point.

After COVID-19 shut down schools, bus systems sat dormant. And now as schools reopen, those buses can't carry as many students and still allow for social distancing.