Broken Transportation Leaves Cleveland Students Missing School

Columnist Nikita Stange says unreliable bus service forces families to make impossible choices, contributing to high absenteeism rates.

Mar. 15, 2026 at 9:35am

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Across Cleveland, bus systems are stretched thin, routes are cut, and schedules are unreliable. This transportation crisis is a hidden driver of chronic absenteeism, as families without cars are left to cobble together unsafe or unreliable solutions to get their kids to school. Columnist Nikita Stange, a volunteer who advocates for children in foster care, argues that no curriculum matters if students can't get through the schoolhouse doors, and that solutions require commitment from city and state leaders to ensure reliable, safe transportation for every student.

Why it matters

Chronic absenteeism is a defining challenge in public education, and transportation issues are a major contributing factor. When students miss significant amounts of school, it leads to lost learning opportunities, widening achievement gaps, and lower graduation rates - especially for children already facing poverty or disability. Addressing transportation barriers is crucial to ensuring educational equity and opportunity.

The details

Stange describes the impossible choice faced by one Cleveland mother, who has had to miss work or let her kids miss school due to unreliable bus service, resulting in over 200 missed school days. Across the city, bus routes are being cut and schedules are unreliable, leaving families without cars to walk miles in unsafe conditions or wait at isolated bus stops in the dark. This transportation crisis will only worsen as the school district consolidates 23 buildings, further straining the already fragile transportation network.

  • The Cleveland school district recently announced a massive consolidation plan to close 23 buildings.

The players

Nikita Stange

A volunteer who advocates for children in foster care and a columnist for cleveland.com.

Cleveland mother

A mother who has had to miss work or let her kids miss school due to unreliable bus service, resulting in over 200 missed school days.

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What they’re saying

“One mother described the impossible choice: lose her paycheck to guide her kids across town on multiple buses or let them miss school. Over the years, that choice has cost her children over 200 days of classroom time.”

— Cleveland mother

What’s next

City leaders can coordinate school schedules with public transit, and districts can contract with smaller providers to cover hard-to-reach areas, giving families a dependable option when yellow buses fall short. At the state level, lawmakers can recognize that funding transportation is funding education, and invest in buses, drivers, and multimodal programs.

The takeaway

Addressing the transportation barriers that contribute to chronic absenteeism is crucial to ensuring educational equity and opportunity for all students. Solutions require commitment from city and state leaders to provide reliable, safe transportation options so that a child's education does not depend on whether their family owns a car or if a bus runs on time.