When the final bell signals the end of the day at Fort Worth ISD鈥檚 Applied Learning Academy, students wait in the cafeteria for the school bus.
Sitting there, some wait and wait and wait. Buses are scheduled to arrive when class lets out at 4:30 p.m. 鈥� some days, buses don鈥檛 arrive until 6 p.m.
Ale Checka, an eighth grade English teacher at Applied Learning Academy, a district school of choice campus, said her students and others at Fort Worth ISD schools of choice, are facing continued transportation challenges.
鈥淔or some kids, it鈥檚 two hours to get home,鈥� Checka said. 鈥淔or middle school, getting out at 4:30 in the afternoon, that鈥檚 an unreasonable thing to put on an 11-year-old.鈥�
Myron Wilson, Fort Worth ISD鈥檚 executive director of transportation, acknowledged the district does face day-to-day challenges often in regard to transportation to and from these campuses.
鈥淭here鈥檚 problems with efficiency,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e still going to get those students to their programs and back home.鈥�
Students who enroll in applied learning programs such as culinary or aviation, are sent to specific schools that offer them. Applied Learning Academy, for instance, offers an applied learning curriculum for sixth to eighth graders.
Students from all over the district can enter into these specific hands-on learning programs, depending on availability, but not all district campuses offer them.
Because school of choice bus drivers must pick students up from bus stops all over the district, obstacles are bound to pop up, Wilson said.
Busing a student living in Fort Worth鈥檚 Northside neighborhood to the Applied Learning Academy in Rosemont, for example, takes significantly longer than if they were busing within the school鈥檚 attendance zone.
鈥淔or general schools, there鈥檚 a 2-mile setup where we鈥檒l bus a student if they live within a 2-mile radius of the campus,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淚f they go to a school of choice 10 to 15 miles away, though, we鈥檒l still bus them.鈥�
It just may take more time, he said.
Fort Worth ISD school of choice parent Ramon Martinez said the unpredictability of the buses makes it harder for his high school student to get on a routine.
鈥淚t seems like they can鈥檛 even get enough bus drivers for the school of choice schools,鈥� Martinez said.
Another parent, Mindy Campos, said the district shouldn鈥檛 push these programs to students and parents if there are issues with transportation.
Checka agreed.
鈥淲e鈥檙e absolutely getting killed in recruitment by charter schools. It鈥檚 hard for a parent to say, 鈥業 would love for my kid to go to this school, but you have to figure out your transportation issue first,鈥欌�� she said.
It鈥檚 an issue for schools of choice, she said, which have a place in the district to serve as an opportunity measure for students.
鈥淣o matter where you live in Fort Worth, you should have access to a really cool program,鈥� Checka said. 鈥淲e have this great school, we invite you to come here, but you鈥檙e going to spend your early evening in a school cafeteria?鈥�
In 2021, Fort Worth ISD faced a bus driver shortage, Wilson said, making it hard for students at all schools across the district to get to class on time.
The district has addressed that for the most part, he said, though the transportation department is always looking for more drivers. At most schools, buses run smoothly and on time.
For Checka, and parents of school of choice students across the district, they just hope their students have that same experience, and no longer have to wait in cafeterias.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or on X, formerly known as Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy .
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