By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The wheels on the buses will go round and round for more Bowling Green students in the new year.
Nearly three years after cutting bus transportation for secondary students living closer than two miles from school, the Bowling Green City School District is back to a full roster of drivers.
Superintendent Ted Haselman made the announcement Tuesday evening to the board of education, who responded with applause.
Like school districts across the nation, Bowling Green has struggled to hire enough drivers to provide transportation to all K-12 students outside a one-mile radius of their school buildings. But on Tuesday, the board voted to hire two more drivers, bringing the roster up to 15 drivers and 11 substitutes.
“The administration has worked diligently to get us back to full strength,” Haselman said.
That means when school returns in January, it will be back to the previous normal for kids relying on bus transportation.
Toby Snow, the school district’s transportation director, said the bus routes currently provide service for about 1,500 students. He estimated the additional drivers will make it possible for about 150 more students to get bus rides to and from school.
The Bowling Green district covers a large geographic area of 118 square miles, reaching south to Jerry City Road, Milton Center and Custar, Snow said after the meeting.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, Haselman reported on the progress on the new high school construction.
“We have walls,” he said. The foundation is almost complete, and cinderblock is being laid.
“The project remains on budget and on time,” the superintendent said.
Haselman also reported that Conneaut Elementary is in the running for the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrator’s Hall of Fame, and Principal Alyssa Karaffa is a candidate for principal of the year award.
In other business, Haselman recommended the board approve delayed starts at the elementary schools and high school for state testing in the spring of 2026. The annual tests require a lot of time, staffing and space, he said.
By delaying K-2 class starts by two hours on scheduled days, the district may be able to reduce the number of testing days from 13 to five. By introducing the delay schedule now, families will have about four months to plan for the delays, Haselman said. The board approved the measure.
Also at the meeting, the board:
- Agreed to hold its organizational meeting for the new year on Jan. 5, at 4:30 p.m., in the administration offices.
- Accepted the retirements of Barbara Powell, who teaches kindergarten at Conneaut Elementary, and Kelli Nitschke, who teaches mathematics at the high school. The retirements will be effective June 1, 2026.
- Accepted donations to the district totaling $15,065. The donations will benefit high school basketball, orchestra, Key Club, lunch balances at Kenwood Elementary, fifth grade camp balances at Conneaut Elementary, Bobcat Basics, clothing and hygiene supplies, school supplies, and completed 3D puzzles.
