Many students stranded without bus in Medina Valley ISD

MEDINA VALLEY, Texas – A slammed school pickup line is a common sight nowadays in the Medina Valley Independent School District.

The school district’s current student enrollment is 9,525. That’s just about 700 more students than MVISD had in classrooms last year. Medina Valley is a historically rural area, but population growth has caused big changes. And this school year, it’s causing transportation problems.

“It’s very frustrating,” Jennifer Anderson, an MVISD mom, said. “I did not expect to run into what I have run into.”

Anderson is a mom of two boys in the district. Three weeks into school, one of her sons still hasn’t been assigned a bus.

“It’s shocking,” Anderson said. “My son shouldn’t be missing school because of this.”

Anderson has been emailing the school district. A transportation official this week said her son was on a waitlist to be added to a bus route. The email said this was because the route that drives through her neighborhood has reached capacity.

“What was your initial reaction to hearing that email?” KSAT reporter Avery Everett asked.

“Really upset,” Anderson said.

She’s not the only family feeling frustrated. MVISD said 200 students are currently on a waitlist for transportation.

“When you’re adding a thousand kids per year, that means there are more kids that you’re having to transport to and from school,” Scott Caloss, the superintendent, said. “That in itself becomes more of a challenge.”

Here’s a breakdown of current student populations at each Medina Valley ISD school for the 2024-2025 year:

• Castroville Elementary School – 581

• LaCoste Elementary School – 610

• Ladera Elementary School – 764

• Of those 9,525 students, Caloss said 60% requested transportation from the district.

  So, how is district transportation granted?

  A spokesperson for MVISD said families could register their students starting in March for this current school year. The deadline was July 8. According to MVISD, around 4,150 students registered before the deadline.

  But not everyone made the deadline. The district said that after July 8, 1,550 students registered for transportation, 700 of which were submitted during the first week of school. As of Wednesday, MVISD said its transportation department has 50 applications left to be processed.

  “The majority of our waitlisted students are in heavily populated subdivisions including Ladera, Silos, Whisper Falls, and northern areas such as Falcon’s Landing and Trails at Culebra,” the spokesperson said. “Once our Transportation Department is able to finish processing the last 50 registrations, they will begin the process of looking to see where we may be able to add additional routes to help get as many students off of a waitlist and onto a route as possible.”

  That’s currently where Anderson stands. With her son on the waitlist, the district email to her said there is no timeline on when he might come off.

  She was able to drive him to and from school for the first two weeks, but she said on Monday, her car broke down.

  “I feel like a bad mom,” Anderson said. “But I don’t have anybody. It’s just me and my boys.”

  The district asked for families’ patience as it reviews the route capacities. A spokesperson said all families with transportation problems should contact the district.

  “It’s not a simple process,” Caloss said. “We’re working as hard and as fast as we can.”

  Why has transportation been such a problem this year? Caloss said rapid population growth in the area, increased student enrollment, bus driver shortages, and heavy traffic in Medina Valley are all reasons.

  Caloss said the district has plans to open more schools in the coming years, which should help alleviate some of these problems. Meanwhile, the current average rider time for students on the bus can range between 15 and 90 minutes.

  “Our team wants to transport our students as efficiently as possible, but first and foremost we want to make sure they are transported safely,” a spokesperson said. “We encourage all families that have requested transportation services to download the MyRideK-12 mobile app.”