Hello Pine Bush families and staff,

I wanted to clear up some misunderstandings about our current bus situation based on a number of emails I have received over the past few days.

First let me tell you that Birnie informed me earlier today that they have all runs covered for tomorrow, just as they did today. But some folks have the mistaken belief that I would continue to inform the district about uncovered runs, because that’s what I began doing a couple of weeks ago. But I only did that because I learned that Birnie did not plan to inform parents until the following morning, and I considered that unacceptable.

But the responsibility to notify parents has always rested with Birnie (and First Student before that). That’s because the fastest way for parents to be notified is by the contractor, as soon as they become aware of an uncovered route, a late arrival or any other glitch that could significantly impact transportation schedules.  That guarantees getting the info to parents quickly and directly.

Since Birnie now has sufficient office staff to resume that obligation, they have taken back the duty to inform parents and will continue to do so as the year progresses.

Just as Birnie calling you is the most direct way to get a message, that also works in the reverse. If you have a question, for example, about where the bus is that is supposed to pick up or drop off your child, a call to Birnie should get you the most direct answer. That said, I know that sometimes Birnie’s call volume is so high that you can’t get through to them, so you call the school instead. Your child’s school should absolutely be your back up when Birnie’s lines are busy. Birnie’s number at the depot is 845-765-7200

I frankly don’t know whether we are completely past the point when Birnie may have to declare a route uncovered, but we have made it very clear to them that, should that happen, they must rotate the uncovered routes so that the same families are not disrupted repeatedly. My hope is that NO family will have to scramble again due to an uncovered route.

The good news is that Birnie’s applicant pool has grown from 28 to 60 in just the past few days. If they can process and hire even half that number, we will be back on solid ground.

Have a great night,

Tim O. Mains, Pine Bush Superintendent