Stafford County VA Public Schools Continuing Transportation Woes, Courtesy of Thomas Taylor

[Anonymous]

Thomas Taylor's previously school district in Stafford County, VA continues to suffer the effects of his implementation of regional programming at the school district's five high schools. When you check Stafford County Public School's website, there is an immediate pop-up box to direct parents to report school transportation problems: https://www.staffordschools.net

This is a school district with only FIVE high schools. Thomas Taylor left there in June 2024, and the school district still hasn't resolved these issues.

It's clear that Taylor doesn't learn from mistakes. Despite asking for it since last summer, the BOE has not been provided requested data, including data on transportation. The board has been told it will not receive the requested data until March 2026, the month it will vote on Taylor's regional program plan.

We will have 26 high schools in SY 2027. I am not optimistic that Taylor can deliver on transportation. He can't even deliver the data.

Here is a news story on the regional transportation problems he brought to Stafford County VA schools before he skipped out to take the MCPS job.

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/thousands-of-students-without-a-bus-route-in-stafford-county

[Anonymous]

Agreed. MCPS already doesn't have enough buses and drivers, and what we do have is often unreliable. Now MCPS will spend $$$ to acquire more buses, but how will they even staff them? It's a train wreck waiting to happen. And this just on transportation logistics, not even the programming itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agreed. MCPS already doesn't have enough buses and drivers, and what we do have is often unreliable. Now MCPS will spend $$$ to acquire more buses, but how will they even staff them? It's a train wreck waiting to happen. And this just on transportation logistics, not even the programming itself.

Taylor was a hiring mistake.

[Anonymous]

Wonder if all these regional magnets will be run like the current ones. As in MS kids catching a bus at 6:40 AM to ride with several other different MS and HS kids. Then, shuttling from the HS to the different MS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thomas Taylor's previously school district in Stafford County, VA continues to suffer the effects of his implementation of regional programming at the school district's five high schools. When you check Stafford County Public School's website, there is an immediate pop-up box to direct parents to report school transportation problems: https://www.staffordschools.net

This is a school district with only FIVE high schools. Thomas Taylor left there in June 2024, and the school district still hasn't resolved these issues.

It's clear that Taylor doesn't learn from mistakes. Despite asking for it since last summer, the BOE has not been provided requested data, including data on transportation. The board has been told it will not receive the requested data until March 2026, the month it will vote on Taylor's regional program plan.

We will have 26 high schools in SY 2027. I am not optimistic that Taylor can deliver on transportation. He can't even deliver the data.

Here is a news story on the regional transportation problems he brought to Stafford County VA schools before he skipped out to take the MCPS job.

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/thousands-of-students-without-a-bus-route-in-stafford-county

It's worse than that-- they're saying they can't/won't give the actual transportation logistics and costs until spring 2027 once they know which exact students will be going where.

They are putting in a placeholder for cost that only includes the cost of HS-to-HS transportation, while trolling BOE members and the public that neighborhood transportation will be included (because promising both lower costs and better transportation service sounds.better to get the plan passed.). Then they will come back next year and present the Board later with a choice of limited transportation at the initial cost, or more extensive transportation at a much higher cost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thomas Taylor's previously school district in Stafford County, VA continues to suffer the effects of his implementation of regional programming at the school district's five high schools. When you check Stafford County Public School's website, there is an immediate pop-up box to direct parents to report school transportation problems: https://www.staffordschools.net

This is a school district with only FIVE high schools. Thomas Taylor left there in June 2024, and the school district still hasn't resolved these issues.

It's clear that Taylor doesn't learn from mistakes. Despite asking for it since last summer, the BOE has not been provided requested data, including data on transportation. The board has been told it will not receive the requested data until March 2026, the month it will vote on Taylor's regional program plan.

We will have 26 high schools in SY 2027. I am not optimistic that Taylor can deliver on transportation. He can't even deliver the data.

Here is a news story on the regional transportation problems he brought to Stafford County VA schools before he skipped out to take the MCPS job.

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/thousands-of-students-without-a-bus-route-in-stafford-county

It's worse than that-- they're saying they can't/won't give the actual transportation logistics and costs until spring 2027 once they know which exact students will be going where.

They are putting in a placeholder for cost that only includes the cost of HS-to-HS transportation, while trolling BOE members and the public that neighborhood transportation will be included (because promising both lower costs and better transportation service sounds.better to get the plan passed.). Then they will come back next year and present the Board later with a choice of limited transportation at the initial cost, or more extensive transportation at a much higher cost.

Wow. Taylor has $2 million in the FY 27 budget to plan regional programs; he is working from the assumption that the board will go along with his regional program plans with a vote in March 2026. We should be vote out any board members who goes along with this ill-conceived, logistically challenged and unaffordable "plan."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wonder if all these regional magnets will be run like the current ones. As in MS kids catching a bus at 6:40 AM to ride with several other different MS and HS kids. Then, shuttling from the HS to the different MS

The quality of the regional programs, given the significant number that are planned, are likely to be disappointing for students initially. The first big problem is the logistics: Taylor promised to continue to provide transportation for the current countywide magnets - Poolesville, Blair, RM IB, TMPS magnet, Eastern Humanities; Roberto Clemente MS magnet, while the existing HS cohorts completed through graduation and for the MS magnets until those are converted to regional programs.

Can he continue to provide transportation for these legacy students while also ensuring that regional program students get to their out-of-area high school programs? That will be the first transportation that is cancelled.