New York City鈥檚 troubled yellow school bus system is in the spotlight once again, with threats of a service disruption and looming mass layoffs due to a contract dispute with the city.

The city鈥檚 largest school bus companies notified the state Department of Labor that they are preparing to shut down operations and lay off employees on Nov. 1 if they don鈥檛 receive a contract extension, the New York Post .

Lawmakers, advocates, and city officials immediately condemned the bus companies鈥� threat, with schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos calling the move 鈥渄eeply upsetting and an act of bad faith.鈥�

The timing of the bus company鈥檚 push, just before November鈥檚 mayoral election, for a five-year extension that would outlast the incoming mayor鈥檚 first term, 鈥渆ffectively bypassed the oversight of voters and elected officials who manage these vital services,鈥� Aviles-Ramos said.

Mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani agreed, telling reporters at an unrelated Tuesday press conference that the oversight panel in charge of approving the contract 鈥渋s right to not give in to the threats.鈥�

The bus companies argue they have no choice because their temporary contract is expiring and they can no longer operate without a longer-term agreement.

The episode is the latest in a long history of over how to manage the sprawling yellow bus system, which relies on a patchwork of largely for-profit companies to ferry some 150,000 students across nearly 19,000 routes each day. All told, the city spent nearly .

Parents and advocates hope this clash can draw renewed attention to problems in a system notorious for , , and a .

鈥淭here鈥檚 this tug of war over the money,鈥� said Sara Catalinotto, the executive director of the advocacy group Parents for Improving School Transportation. 鈥淏ut this is a service, and without it these kids are discriminated against.鈥�

What鈥檚 the history behind these bus contracts?

The current dispute springs from a disagreement over how to handle the city鈥檚 鈥渓egacy鈥� school bus contracts, which date back to the 1970s and are typically renewed every five years. They most recently expired in June.

In the months before the contracts expired, city Education Department officials signaled they were interested in rebidding the contracts, or soliciting offers from a new set of companies to more efficiently for contract violations.

Simply renewing the existing contracts gives the city 鈥渇ar less negotiating ability 鈥� because we have to continue with this same set of vendors,鈥� Emma Vadehra, the Education Department鈥檚 former deputy chancellor, in May.

But city officials say they can鈥檛 move forward with rebidding without the option to offer something called the 鈥淓mployee Protection Provision,鈥� or EPP.

That protection 鈥� built into the legacy contracts for decades 鈥� ensures unionized bus workers laid off by one company are prioritized for hiring by other companies, at their existing wages. Drivers and union officials consider the provision a dealbreaker 鈥� and would almost certainly strike without it.

But city officials say a 2011 state court decision prohibits them from inserting EPP into new contracts if they rebid 鈥� and only allows them to keep EPP if they extend existing contracts. The only fix, city officials say, is changing state law 鈥� an effort that has so far stalled in Albany.

Without that state legislation, city officials faced a choice: inking another five-year extension or pushing for a shorter-term contract in the hopes state lawmakers quickly clear the way for a rebid.

Who is opposed to a five-year contract renewal?

While the city moved ahead with negotiations for a five-year extension, a growing number of advocates, parents, and flooded meetings of the Panel for Educational Policy, or PEP 鈥� the body that approves Education Department contracts 鈥� to push for a shorter-term contract.

鈥淒o not vote yes to extend for some long period of time,鈥� said Christi Angel, a parent leader in District 75, which serves students with significant disabilities who disproportionately rely on busing, at the September PEP meeting. Roughly . 鈥淒on鈥檛 reward bad behavior,鈥� Angel said. 鈥淭his is a broken system.鈥�

Their arguments quickly gained traction in the PEP, where multiple members expressed their opposition to a five-year extension at September鈥檚 meeting.

The panel is expected to vote on the five-year extension next month, after the mayoral election, said PEP Chair Greg Faulkner, though he would prefer to wait until the new mayor takes office in January.

鈥淪houldn鈥檛 the mayor-elect have some say in a billion dollar contract?鈥� said Faulkner. 鈥淚 just think that鈥檚 sound governance.鈥�

Why are the city and bus companies at odds right now?

Over the summer, the city and bus companies agreed to two emergency extensions to keep service running, the second of which expires on Oct. 31.

Without a guarantee of an active contract after that date 鈥� since the PEP is not voting this month 鈥� the bus companies claim they have no choice but to consider layoffs.

The city, however, had 鈥渓ong planned鈥� to offer an emergency extension for November and December, and officials delivered the agreement to the bus companies on Monday, Aviles-Ramos said.

The PEP only votes on those extensions after they鈥檝e already taken effect, Faulkner noted.

The bus companies, he said, are attempting to 鈥渃reate confusion in order to hold us hostage for a longer term agreement.鈥�

The bus companies reject that assertion and say they simply cannot survive any longer on emergency extensions, which don鈥檛 allow them the kind of long-term certainty they need to operate their businesses.

鈥淏anks will not finance 30-day extensions, buses can鈥檛 be bought, payroll cannot be paid,鈥� said Sean Crowley, a lawyer representing several companies. 鈥淓nough is enough!鈥�

The companies claim that they have already worked out the contours of a new five-year contract extension with the city and are just awaiting the PEP鈥檚 approval, though Faulkner said the Education Department hasn鈥檛 yet presented the PEP with the contract.

What happens from here?

A spokesperson confirmed that several bus companies had received the city鈥檚 offer for another emergency contract extension and were reviewing the documents.

Aviles-Ramos said the city is working to get 鈥渁lternative transportation services鈥� in place if that falls through.

But even if the bus companies and city do manage to avoid a service shutdown Nov. 1, the episode raises larger questions about how to make lasting improvements in the troubled system. Ongoing make that task even harder.

The bus companies argue that the five-year contract agreement they sketched out with the city would achieve many of those goals, including stricter accountability to ensure drivers use GPS tracking, more staffing to field parent complaints, and monetary penalties for companies that underperform, according to testimony submitted to the PEP in September.

But critics continue to push for a shorter-term extension to give the state legislature time to pass EPP legislation, and clear the way for a rebid.

Mamdani has not offered specifics about how he would manage the school bus system, but said Tuesday that given the many concerns about yellow bus service, any contract extension deserves a 鈥渉ard look.鈥�

Some reformers point to changes already underway. Under Mayor Bill de Blasio, the city overseen by the city.

Matt Berlin, the CEO of that nonprofit, called NYCSBUS, and former director of the city鈥檚 Office of Pupil Transportation, believes the nonprofit model has 鈥渁 lot to offer the city鈥� and could expand.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at .

When her husband recently retired after 22 years, Andujar began to rethink her own career path and recalled her years volunteering in her children鈥檚 schools. She became an educational assistant in a Spanish dual-immersion program in the Clarksville-Montgomery schools, northwest of Nashville.

鈥淚 wasn’t planning to become a teacher, but I noticed how a teacher could transform a student’s life,鈥� she said.

Now she鈥檚 part of an effort to transform educator preparation with the nation鈥檚 first apprenticeship in teaching approved by the U.S. Department of Labor. A partnership between the school district and Austin-Peay State University, the is a 鈥済row-your-own鈥� model in which districts recruit candidates from within their communities and give them extensive on-the-job experience before they take over their own classrooms. With the nation鈥檚 teachers far less racially diverse than the public school students they instruct, many consider the approach an effective way to recruit more Black and Hispanic educators. 

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona highlighted grow-your-own programs in a visit to Tennessee State University last week. He was instrumental in getting Labor Secretary Martin Walsh鈥檚 support for the apprenticeship, according to Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn.

He visited Tennessee State University to learn more about its own with Metro Nashville Public Schools and told that it’s important to “make sure that teachers aren’t working three jobs to make ends meet.”

With the nation currently fixed on staffing shortages and the persistent challenges of hard-to-fill positions, efforts to strengthen the teacher 鈥減ipeline鈥� are among policymakers. Over 20 years ago, a major study of a grow-your-own program for paraprofessionals showed that participants were more likely than new teachers to still be teaching after three years. But the model lacks long-term evidence of effectiveness. Experts say the federal government鈥檚 support 鈥� and potential funding 鈥� should help spread the concept.

鈥淟et鈥檚 get rid of this idea of a first-year teacher,鈥� Schwinn told 蜜桃影视 last month when she announced the new Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship. 

By the time candidates finish the three-year program, she said they鈥檒l not only have a bachelor鈥檚 degree and teacher certification but also experience working under the supervision of a master educator. While the concept isn鈥檛 new, funding for such programs has been inconsistent, according to a from New America, a center-left think tank. The American Rescue Plan offers a new source of support for the model, but that too will run out, Schwinn said.

Access to state and federal funding for apprenticeships, however 鈥渋s a game changer,鈥� Schwinn said. 鈥淚t is that permanent, recurring source of funding.鈥�

Putting 鈥榙reams on hold鈥�

The awarded more than $130 million in grants to 15 states last year for apprenticeships to meet workforce needs across multiple industries. Becoming a with the labor department 鈥� which requires programs to meet specific quality standards 鈥� puts Tennessee鈥檚 program in position to receive funding that would cover both pay and the cost of education for participants, removing a barrier that often keeps lower-income and non-white candidates from pursuing teaching. 

For now, the state is using $20 million in federal relief funds to support 65 grow-your-own programs across the state, including the one in Clarksville-Montgomery, where Scottie Bonecutter is working in a first-grade classroom while earning a degree and certification in special education. 

She grew up in Clarksville, graduated from the district in 2006 and was doing the 鈥渨hole traditional college thing鈥� she said. Just as she began taking core courses to become a teacher, she got pregnant and had her first son.

鈥淚 ended up putting my dreams on hold,鈥� she said. 

She became an educational assistant in the district in 2018. By the time she applied for the residency program last year, she felt more equipped to take advantage of her mentors鈥� expertise.

鈥淣ow that I鈥檓 an adult, I’m not scared to raise my hand and say, 鈥業 have a struggle with this,鈥欌�� she said, adding that the supervising teachers 鈥渁re willing to literally walk us through every single step of every single decision they make. They are willing to explain every single standard that we use in class.鈥�

Sean Impeartice, the district鈥檚 chief academic officer, said sending candidates to college without the support to balance work, education and family life responsibilities is 鈥渆ducational malpractice.鈥� He hires staff members to work as 鈥渇acilitators,鈥� who Bonecutter said, provide 鈥渆motional support, if you have a lot going on at home, at school or in any aspect of life.鈥�

鈥業mproving practice鈥�

But it鈥檚 a challenging time to become a teacher. Entering the field during the pandemic has been a 鈥渂aptism by fire,鈥� said Impeartice.

Because of staff shortages, some residents have already led classes on their own. Learning to teach for the first time in a remote arrangement was an additional hurdle. Andujar spent much of her first year in the program teaching Spanish grammar remotely.

鈥淚 highly dislike Zoom,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not a techie person.鈥�

Growing efforts among conservative lawmakers to restrict curriculum also feel out of 鈥渢ouch with the realities of being a teacher,鈥� said Amaya Garcia, the deputy director of New America鈥檚 Pre-K to 12 program. 

That鈥檚 why incentives, such as full tuition and mentoring support, are important for addressing teacher shortages, she said, adding that recruiting paraprofessionals, like Andujar and Bonecutter, is a 鈥渓ogical and sound investment鈥� for policymakers because many already have some college credit, classroom experience and often hail from the communities they鈥檙e serving. 

Apprenticeships generally receive . Governors of both parties have highlighted the model during this year.

But researchers don鈥檛 know enough about whether participants in grow-your-own programs stay in teaching or improve student learning, Garcia said. In 2001, the Wallace Foundation its $50 million Pathways to Teaching Careers program for paraprofessionals and other non-certified staff and found that 81 percent of participants remained in teaching for at least three years after completing the program, compared to 71 percent for new teachers in general.

There鈥檚 even less data on whether students in high school pathway programs ultimately enter and stay in teaching, even though such programs are growing in popularity.

Just last week, the Chicago Public Schools announced that it wants to expand the number of graduates it hires through its program from about 140 annually to over 500. 

One program that Garcia considers 鈥溾�� is the two-year Bilingual Teacher Fellow program in the Highline Public Schools, near Seattle 鈥� a partnership that began in 2016 with Western Washington University to address a specific need for bilingual teachers.

Sandra Ruiz Kim, formerly a manager in a dental office, was among the first to finish the program in 2018. Now a sixth-grade Spanish teacher at Glacier Middle School, she noticed a difference between those who completed the fellowship and those without such experience. 

鈥淲e were able 鈥� even as first-year teachers 鈥� to have meaningful conversations about improving practice,鈥� she said, adding that the experience also gave her access to a network of colleagues, 鈥渨hich can be vital for career progression in an industry that often depends on professional relationships and word-of-mouth reputation.鈥�

A recent showed that 鈥渉omegrown鈥� teachers 鈥� those who teach in the districts where they graduated 鈥� contribute to small improvements in student performance in English language arts.

That confirms why recruiting teachers from the community can be 鈥渁n impactful strategy,鈥� Garcia said, adding, 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be getting more proof points because we鈥檙e going to have more districts like Highline that have been doing this for several years.鈥�