West Weekly Update
September 22, 2023
A message from Ms. Elizabeth Martinez, Principal
Proviso West Administration would like to be proactive in communicating about two concerns that have been brought to our attention: Scheduling and Transportation.
Scheduling Update:
The Proviso West Administration has been working with Union Leadership to address the recently adopted MOA (Memorandum of Understanding) to decrease class sizes. As of today, 94% of all general education classes are at 30 or below. We are dedicated to working with the Union in the best interest of our students and the community we serve. The work is not complete as we move to hire additional teachers to make sure that every classroom has a highly qualified teacher while addressing the needs connected to every aspect of student success. The goal of Proviso West Leadership is to work with all stakeholders inside and outside of the school to build trust, communication, accountability, and voice to make us One Proviso.
Transportation Update:
We want to provide a quick update on where we stand regarding drivers and routing efforts as we start our 2023–2024 School Year. Thank you for your patience as we put systems in place and keep student safety our top priority!
Driver Updates:
· We currently have 9 additional bus driver candidates in various training phases.
· 4 drivers are in the final stages of Behind-the-Wheel training – 3 are starting next week, the other the following week.
· An additional 5 drivers are beginning Behind the Wheel training; we anticipate they will be starting their routes in 2-3 weeks.
· There is 1 driver in the classroom portion of training; we expect to get them rolling in roughly 3 weeks.
Routes:
· The First Student has communicated that out of our 17 routes, there is a route or two with delays.
. They have been roughly 15-20 minutes delayed. The deficient routes are Route 12 and Route 8. These routes will have drivers by the end of next week.
Successes:
Compared to years prior, we are ahead of the game and are moving in the right direction. Currently, Proviso is showing 90% on-time for AM routes. Compared to previous years, we would hover around 68%–75%. It has been reported that the support from Proviso West this year has improved immensely. When First Student has an issue, the school quickly responds, and the drivers appreciate the collaboration and communication. 😉
Areas for Improvement:
PM continues to be a struggle. We are exploring alternatives to get busses on time to Proviso West after school. We see improvement, but there is still ground to gain here, and we will keep working hard on improving this area.
While First Student continues to hire drivers for these routes, we will be working together to understand their routes quicker to improve service for families in our community.
❤️ West is the Best! ❤️
Ms. Martinez
Principal
Proviso West
