LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Students in Fayette County are back in the classroom for the first time in more than a week after snow forced them to use several NTI days. Now, the city and school leaders are looking for ways to improve the plan for getting roads ready for buses after snow.
"The gist of the matter is it really has exposed some things we can do better, which is letting everybody know how the weather itself impacts all this road clearing," said Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton.
Part of the issue may have stemmed from a lack of communication between the city and the school district. In an email to the city council, Nancy Albright, the commissioner of Lexington's Department of Environmental Quality and Public Works, said when they were developing their snow plan for the season, they sent a copy to the school district and asked for feedback.
Albright wrote, "As part of the development of the snow plan, we are concerned about assisting FCPS transportation within the road rankings. We do not have a map showing FCPS bus routes. If there are gaps in the road rankings with respect to the bus routes we did not have a way to determine those gaps other than to ask FCPS to review and comment."
"We did not hear back from the school system, so she had to go on with the plan," Gorton said.
In the days after the snow, the school district said a significant percentage of bus routes were unsafe for buses to travel. After four NTI days and a snow day, students were back in the classroom Tuesday.
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, FCPS Chief of Staff Tracy Bruno said, "Fayette County Public Schools values our partnership with the Lexington-Fayette County Government, and we will continue working collaboratively to support the wellbeing and safety of our students, families, and community."
Now, city and school leaders are reviewing how to improve.
"Some of these streets don't belong to the urban county government. They're private streets. Some of them are way out in the country. I know right now they are syncing up the bus list with the priority road list and seeing how we can do better next time. You know, it's all a learning opportunity, right?" Gorton said.
As the city grows, Gorton said, that work will continue.
"We've now got the expansion of the boundary, which in the next few years will add more new roads out there, so it's all a puzzle, really, and so we're working on whatever we can work on to make it better, and I know that the school system and Dr. Liggins feel the same way," Gorton said.
