Hundreds of students in Medina Valley ISD without bus transportation

MEDINA VALLEY, Texas – A crowded school line is a common sight these days in the Medina Valley Independent School District.

There are currently 9,525 students enrolled in the school district, nearly 700 more than were in MVISD classrooms last year. Medina Valley is historically a rural area, but population growth has brought big changes. And this school year, it’s leading to transportation issues.

“It’s very frustrating,” said Jennifer Anderson, an MVISD parent. “I didn’t expect this to happen to me.”

Anderson is a mother 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 have to miss school because of this.”

Anderson emailed the school district. A transportation official said this week that her son is on a waiting list for a bus route. The email said this is because the route that runs through their neighborhood has reached capacity.

“What was your first reaction when you heard this email?” asked KSAT reporter Avery Everett.

“Really upset,” Anderson said.

She’s not the only family frustrated. According to MVISD, 200 students are currently on a waiting list for transportation.

“When you add a thousand children every year, that means you have to transport more children to and from school,” said school principal Scott Caloss. “That in itself becomes a bigger challenge.”

Here is a breakdown of the current student population at each Medina Valley ISD school for the 2024-2025 year:

• Castroville Elementary School – 581

• LaCoste Elementary School – 610

• Ladera Elementary School – 764

• Luckey Ranch Elementary School – 931

• Potranco Elementary School – 812

• Silos Elementary School – 999

• Medina Valley Middle School – 1,149

• Loma Alta Middle School – 1,041

• Medina Valley High School – 2,638

• Total number of students in the district: 9,525

Caloss said of those 9,525 students, 60% have asked the district for transportation.

How is district transport ensured?

An MVISD spokesperson said families could register their children for the current school year starting in March. The deadline was July 8. About 4,150 students registered before the deadline, according to MVISD.

But not everyone met the deadline. The district said 1,550 students signed up for transportation after July 8, 700 of them in the first week of school. On Wednesday, MVISD said the transportation department still had 50 applications to process.

“The majority of our waitlisted students live in densely populated residential areas such as Ladera, Silos, Whisper Falls and northern areas such as Falcon’s Landing and Trails at Culebra,” the spokesperson said. “Once our Department of Transportation processes the final 50 applications, it will begin reviewing where we may be able to add additional routes to move as many students as possible from the waitlist onto a route.”

That’s Anderson’s situation right now. Because her son is on the waitlist, the district’s email to her states that there is no timeline for when he might be taken off the waitlist.

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

“I feel like a bad mother,” Anderson said. “But I have no one. It’s just me and my boys.”

The district asked families to be patient while it reviews route capacities. A spokesperson said any families with transportation issues should contact the district.

“This is not an easy process,” Caloss said. “We are working as hard and as fast as we can.”

Why was traffic so problematic this year? Caloss cited the region’s rapid population growth, increasing student population, a shortage of bus drivers and heavy traffic in Medina Valley as reasons.

Caloss said the district has plans to open more schools in the coming years, which should help alleviate some of these problems. The average travel time for students on the bus can currently range from 15 to 90 minutes.

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