FS_112118

4 | November 21, 2018 | The frankfort station news
frankfortstation.com
. 6
Frankfort School D157-C Board of education
D210 officials outline plans to reduce school bus driver shortage
Nuria Mathog, Editor
Representatives from Lincoln-Way
Community High
School District 210 made
an appearance at the Nov.
14 Frankfort School District
157-C Board of Education
meeting to discuss recent
challenges related to transportation
and potential solutions.
Kate Ambrosini, D157C
director of business and operations,
said student transportation
and safety were "a
top priority" for the district.
"We've had a couple of
obstacles this year, which
has not historically been
our trend, so we just kind of
wanted to make sure that we
were addressing those concerns
and looking for a plan
to move forward," she said.
D210 Assistant Superintendent
of Business Brad
Cauffman acknowledged
D210 was facing a bus driver
shortage and was down several
drivers, part of what he
described as a nationwide issue.
Coming into the school
Police reports
Police warn about burglaries in nearby communities
year, Cauffman said, D210
knew additional drivers
would be needed, but despite
efforts such as a bus fair for
recruitment and materials to
assist people who have never
driven a bus before, the district
ultimately had "very
limited" success over the
summer in recruiting.
"Just after we began the
school year, we had five drivers
resign and we've been
notified that we have three
more resigning before the
holidays," he said. "So, our
driver shortage is becoming
even more difficult."
With respect to D157-C
specifically, Cauffman said
while there were originally
20 fully-staffed routes "ready
to go" to serve students in the
district, one driver resigned
and two routes had to be
combined as a result.
However, he said, since
Oct. 15, an additional driver
had been hired for D157-C,
four additional drivers were
in training, and an additional
dispatcher who would primarily
be dedicated to D157-
C had also been brought on
Frankfort police continue
to remind residents to be
vigilant following a series of
daytime residential burglaries
in surrounding communities,
according to a Frankfort
Police Department advisory.
Different tactics were used
to enter the homes, such as
kicking the front door open
or entering through the back
door.
A white Ford pickup with
a toolbox and a light on was
spotted in the area of the recent
burglaries; it is unknown
if the vehicle is associated
with the offenses in question,
the advisory states.
board.
Additionally, Cauffman
added, D210 officials were
assembling a program to ask
recently retired drivers to
come back and help reduce
the shortage and would continue
to work with the D210
Board of Education on establishing
an incentive plan
designed to increase driver
attendance and retention,
along with examining driver
salaries as the global market
becomes more competitive.
"I just wanted to tell you
that we here are very dedicated
to making sure we provide
high-quality service and
transportation to your district
and to all the other districts
we serve, including [D210],"
Cauffman said.
D157-C board member
Larry Kociolek stressed the
need to ensure safety for students.
"There's nothing restricting
kindergartners from being
dropped off without supervision
... several times the
bus has been a half hour late
because a bus pulled up to a
stop, there was no parent and
Nov. 15
• Michael A. Cole, 27, of 345
Loomis St. in Chicago, was
cited in the area of Center
Road and Ontario Street for
allegedly having no insurance.
• Dominick R. Reed, 34, of
4193 186th St. in Country
Club Hills, was cited for allegedly
speeding and driving
with a suspended license.
Nov. 12
• Victor Munoz Lira, 31, of
1620 Aberdeen St. in Chicago
Heights, was cited in the
area of Delaney and Scheer
Roads for allegedly speeding
and driving with a suspended
license.
• Xavier M. Smith, 21, of
3413 Kings Road in Steger,
was cited in the 9400 block
of Laraway Road for allegedly
speeding, having no
they sat and waited," he said.
"They would not let that kindergartner
off. They waited
at that stop. That's consistently
what's been told to me,
at least."
Board discusses association
resolution
The board also debated
how D157-C's representative
to the Illinois Association of
School Boards would vote on
a resolution to allow school
districts to create a policy
permitting armed personnel,
including administrators,
faculty and staff in schools,
to carry concealed weapons
after undergoing training.
Board President Gina Briese
said she was "strongly
opposed" to the resolution,
while board member Edie
Adamski said she thought
each school district should
have the right to decide what
was best for itself.
"I wouldn't want some other
school districts voting and
saying that we can't decide
what we need to do," she
said. "Another note on that,
insurance and driving with a
suspended license.
Nov. 10
• Miscellaneous items were
reported taken from a business
construction site in the
9700 block of Lincoln Highway.
if it was brought to a vote
here, I would vote against it.
I would not want to arm our
teachers or administration. I
really believe that should be
for a trained individual such
as a police officer."
Board Vice President Tom
Reidy expressed reluctance
for the board to take a position
on the resolution, which
he called "completely politicized."
"By participating in this
vote, we're going to allow
ourselves to get mired in this
discussion," he said. "I think
us coming up with one side
or the other on this opens us
up to people arguing about
this ... We're making a decision
based on an organization
that has no impact, no
pull and is essentially meaningless."
Ultimately, a majority of
the board members indicated
they supported the resolution
because they wanted to allow
other districts to decide on
the matter for themselves but
stressed they would not be in
favor of the resolution if it
were solely a D157-C matter.
Nov. 9
• Diona A. Circelli, 33, of
1904 Brighton Lane in Plainfield,
was cited in the area of
Prestwick Drive and Harlem
Avenue for allegedly operating
a vehicle with suspended
registration and driving with
a suspended license.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Frankfort
Station’s Police Reports are
compiled from official reports
found online on the Frankfort
Police Department’s website or
releases issued by the department
and other agencies. Individuals
named in these reports
are considered innocent of all
charges until proven guilty in a
court of law.
From NOV. 16
Police seek
15-year-old who
allegedly went on
area crime spree
Staff report
Local authorities have
identified and are seeking the
offender in a Nov. 8 pursesnatching
in New Lenox, according
to a release from the
New Lenox Police Department
In coordination with multiple
police agencies, the
NLPD obtained an arrest
warrant for a 15-year-old
male who is reportedly in
Bloomington, Ill.
According to the release,
the morning of Nov. 8 a juvenile
male stole a purse
from an elderly woman in the
parking lot of Calistoga Plaza
on Laraway Road just north
of Cedar Road and then fled
to a white vehicle, later identified
as a Chevy Cruze.
Later that morning, around
11:25 a.m., that same car
was reportedly involved in a
road-rage incident in Frankfort,
where a license plate for
the vehicle was recorded and
used to identify the car as stolen
out of Bloomington.
Upon further investigation,
authorities said the car
was involved in crimes at a
restaurant in Pontiac, Ill., and
Home Depot in Shorewood.
The next day, Nov. 9, the
alleged stolen vehicle was recovered
in Bloomington.
Authorities reportedly used
surveillance footage from the
crime scenes to identify the
offender as a 15-year-old
from Bloomington who already
had an active warrant
in this hometown.
The release says the
Bloomington Police Department
issued a local alert to
attempt to apprehend the alleged
perpetrator.