LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Clark County School District is making a significant financial commitment to accommodate new school start times, announcing a one-time investment of $5.6 million to ensure adequate transportation staffing for the upcoming school year.
The investment will fund the addition of 26 buses and the hiring of 51 new drivers to support the schedule changes.
CCSD officials say, "We anticipate being able to hire sufficient drivers to staff the new routes"...through ongoing recruiting efforts."
Watch the full press conference with Superintendent Jhone Ebert here:
The district has already made progress in addressing driver shortages, bringing bus driver openings down to fewer than 10 positions by November through targeted recruitment initiatives.
WATCH | As CCSD prepares for the logistical shift, students and parents shared their mixed reactions with me to the upcoming changes:
"Personally, me, I like going to school early," one student said. "Because I feel like we're able to get our brains started up faster and we're able to leave school earlier, so that will help with a lot of adults' schedules, like parents. I don't think it'll work for me, but a lot of the kids, I feel like it will work."
However, some parents have expressed concerns about the practical implications of earlier start times.
"I noticed parents that it's very hard to even get their kids up out the bed in the morning time, so it might work for most parents, but then some parents it's probably gonna interfere with those that's dropping their kids off on their way to work," one parent said. "Those that have to make sure that their kids get to school, but other than that, they should have never changed it."
CCSD continues working through the major logistical shift by adding dozens of bus routes and drivers. The district says outreach efforts are ongoing, with officials continuing to recruit qualified bus drivers through job fairs and other recruitment strategies.
Revised school start times will be posted on ccsd.net and individual school websites starting in April 2026. Eligible bus riders will receive a Parentlink message in July 2026 with steps to access bus routing information.
