Excitement and anxiety before schools starts

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – South Bend families are soaking up their last minutes of sunshine before it’s back to school.

For soon-to-be sixth grader, Chloe McNeill, she is least excited to start up math classes again, but excited to be with her peers.

“To be honest, I haven’t seen my friends a lot, so seeing my friends,” she said.

Her dad, Steven McNeill, is ready to get his two children back in the routine of school.

“Summer vacation— they tend to sleep in, stay up all night. Just ready to get back to the 9 to 5, so to say,” McNeill said.

Last year, he said Chloe only had to walk down the street to catch the bus.

“The bus system is our main concern,” he said.

This year, her bus stop is two miles away from her house.

“[She’s] expected to walk but, obviously I’ll be taking her and being there to pick her up,” he said.

However, his concerns go beyond bussing. He said he worries how much time is spent in the classroom—without a teacher.

“Last year we had a substitute teacher about every other day,” he said, “my daughter didn’t learn as much as she could obviously.”

“My teacher was gone sometimes, and the classroom was like bonkers,” Chloe said.

The South Bend Community School Board tackled various issues Monday night, just two days before the start of the school year.

Superintendent Dr. Todd Cummings said while bus routes may have changed, but he is not worried about transportation staffing issues this school year.

According to the Department of Education, South Bend Community Schools are only in need of two full-time bus drivers, but over 70 full-time teaching positions.

“Like nationwide, we all have staffing issues,” Cummings said. “We have subs that lined up for the first day, we have folks that are getting their background checks done, and we encourage folks, if you want to be teachers, there’s a way to go from your bachelor’s degree to being a fully certified teacher.”

As for McNeill’s situation, Cummings said that was most likely a mistake on behalf of the transportation department. He suggested McNeill, and any other parent in a similar situation, call the department at (547) 393-7000 to get the issue resolved.

And, of course, South Bend Schools begin classes Wednesday.