PEKIN, Ill. – Pekin Public Schools District 108 is addressing transportation problems that left some families without critical bus route information on the first day of the school year Wednesday.
Superintendent Leonard Ealey said in a statement to 25 News that his team worked late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning alongside Alltown Bus Service to finalize route information and get it to families. Despite those efforts, some families did not receive complete and accurate information within the expected timeframe.
Ealey said the district is now reviewing both the transportation issues themselves and how they communicated with families throughout the process to identify areas for improvement going forward.
The transportation hiccup comes after a significant change to how Pekin students get to school. The Pekin City Council voted in June 2025 to exit the school bus business, citing cost savings for taxpayers. City Manager John Dossey noted at the time that bus drivers filing for unemployment over the summer was a financial drain on the city.
The district’s board accepted the Alltown Bus Service bid on February 23, 2026, making this the first school year under the new arrangement.
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