By James Windell
Ethan Pulka has a concern about transportation for South Haven school students. The message that he wants to let the School Board and the Superintendent of South Haven schools know about is short and maybe not so sweet: The South Haven School transportation system is in a state of crisis – this crisis is having an impact on students every school day.
Pulka, who has a son at South Haven High School, formed a group of concerned parents called “South Haven Parents for Dependable Transportation.” He showed up at the Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, to deliver his group’s message to the Board.
“I had prepared a researched, five-minute presentation outlining the systemic safety and reliability failures in our district’s transportation system,” he said following the School Board meeting. “Unfortunately, due to the board’s enforcement of time limits, my remarks were cut short before I could present the full scope of the problem or our proposed solutions.”
Pulka said he wanted to let the Board and the Superintendent of Schools, Ana Aleman-Putman, know that he and his group were concerned about a severe and chronic bus driver shortage, an unresolved contract with bus drivers since their contract expired in June, 2025, and the lack of adequate training for bus drivers to learn to manage student behavior. Furthermore, Pulka intended to draw attention to a communication system that is “dangerously inadequate, with only one radio in dispatch, creating delays in emergencies.”
Pulka said that the district is currently trying to cover eight routes with only six drivers. “This has forced a consolidation of routes from 12 down to seven, leading to longer ride times and dangerous overcrowding on at least one bus,” he said.
Pulka said that earlier this year he contacted School Board President Shawn Olney and Superintendent Aleman-Putman to present his concerns as well as solutions. “They thought they were great and they had the summer to work through the problems and resolve them,” he said. “However, it’s the of the school year and the problems are happening all over again – in fact, getting worse.”
During the recent School Board meeting, Aleman-Putman acknowledged a shortage of bus drivers and said she realized this was a “major burden on families.” She also confirmed that there are currently only six certified school bus drivers to serve the entire district. However, she said that school officials are trying to address the need for more bus drivers in order to provide families with consistent transportation to school.
Kevin Dee, Director of Non-Instructional Services for South Haven Public Schools, also confirmed that there is a shortage of bus drivers in South Haven schools. However, he said that this shortage does not cause any safety issues for students. “South Haven Schools has offered to provide other transportation options for families that are having difficulties getting their students to school,” Dee said.
He stated that when a school bus route has to be cancelled, a notice is sent to the affected families. That notice reads: “If your student’s route is canceled and you are unable to provide transportation, please contact your child’s school building at 269-###-####. We will make sure your child has a safe and reliable ride to and from school.”
Dee also disagreed with Pulka’s contention that bus drivers for South Haven Schools are underpaid. “South Haven Public Schools strives to provide our staff competitive wages as compared to our area districts,” Dee said. “We are currently in negotiations now that we have an approved state budget.”
Both Aleman-Putman and Dee pointed out that a shortage of school bus drivers is not unique to South Haven. This, they said, is an industry-wide as well as a nationwide issue.
“A lot of parents I talk to say they don’t care if is a nationwide problem,” Pulka said. “let’s take care of our area.’
One way that Pulka said that South Haven Schools might attract more drivers is to raise their salaries, offer benefits and provide signing bonuses. “Bus drivers are not offered health insurance or other benefits,” Pulka says. “This would be an incentive because other school districts do offer health insurance.”
He added that “These are all issues that can be resolved.”
