NASHVILLE, Tenn. -
From the bus to the classroom and to parents at home, Metro school administrators are working to get the district ready for the 2012-2013 school year.
At the Metro bus barn, school buses are undergoing system checks and routine maintenance. Nearly 600 buses run every day of the school year.
Last year, the district rolled out 50 new buses, allowing some older buses to be taken out of rotation.
An estimated 45,000 students will ride the bus twice a day this year, but more bus drivers are needed.
"We are still hiring. We are still looking for bus drivers," Metro schools spokeswoman Olivia Brown said. "Anyone who is interested in applying can go online, there is an online application. These positions are fulltime. They include training and benefits, so those positions are available."
Bus monitor and crossing guard positions have been filled, but other jobs are available, including classroom teaching positions.
District officials are confident the positions will be filled, despite the early start to the school year.
"We don't have concerns about starting on August 1, other than just getting the word out to everyone that that is the first day of school because it is a change from prior years," Brown said.
The start of a new school year can be an exciting time for students of all ages as they return to familiar routines, activities and friends.
Brown, however, admits it can also be stressful if there are unfamiliar schools, schedules or basic requirements.
"If they have any questions at all about their schedule that their assigned to, about the school, about the bus route that their child will ride, now is the time to try to get those questions answered," Brown said. "Every day that we get closer to August 1, our phone lines and our customer service center will get busier and the waits will become longer to get the information they need."
Immunizations are a top priority for the school system. All students, especially those entering school for the first time, going into the seventh grade or transferring from another school system, must have an up-to-date shot record by the first day of school.
If a parent cannot provide a child's shot record by the fifth day of class, the child will be sent home.
Parents can get more tips on school preparations this weekend at the fourth annual Parent University. The free conference offers sessions on an array of student-, school- or-district related topics, as well as information on health, job training and fitness.
The conference is Saturday, July 21, at McGavock High School from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"When the day begins, you want it to be as stress-free as possible. You want your children to be excited about it and we want everyone to be excited the first day of school," said Brown.
For more information on MNPS careers, bus routes, immunizations or Parent University, visit MNPS.org.
