OXFORD — Progress is being made on the problem of busing children to and from the Waterford Memorial School and the Harrison Elementary School, school officials said this week.

Some revised bus routes and direct shuttle buses were put in place Monday in an attempt to resolve some timing problems that caused students to be on buses far longer than desired.

“We’re working on it,” Superintendent Rick Colpitts told the Oxford Hills School District Board of Directors at their Monday night meeting.

Last spring, the Oxford Hills School District Board of Directors agreed to have prekindergarten-through-second-grade students from both towns go to the Waterford Elementary School and third-to-sixth-grade students from both towns attend Harrison Elementary School.

The shuttle bus service has allowed parents to drop their children off at one school instead of having to drive to both schools.

But problems arose immediately when it became evident that it was taking too long to get the students from one school to the next because other students were still being picked up on the route in between the two schools.

This week officials made changes that allows the shuttle bus to go directly from one school to the next and also revised some of the longer bus routes that had some children on board as long as an hour and a half. The longest route has now been pared down to one hour and seven minutes, Colpitts said.

Colpitts said Tuesday that parents have been very helpful and patient as the changes have been made. About 50 parents responded to a survey that asked what would improve their child’s transportation issue.

About 15 parents responded they would like their child to be bused directly from one school to the next. That idea has been implemented successfully, he said. Now a child who is dropped of at the Waterford Memorial School but must go to the Harrison Elementary School is getting there in about 10 minutes with a direct shuttle, he said.

“We’re making progress,” Colpitts said.

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