Bus driver shortage has some rethinking how to get kids to school
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[October 05, 2021]
By Greg Bishop
(The Center Square) – The wheels on the bus
aren’t going round and round in some districts nearly enough, leading
some to look at a complete retooling of how to get kids to school
safely.
A shortage of drivers in all industries is hampering school bus
operations, Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools Executive
Director Dave Ardrey said.
“Those folks have other opportunities in other places to drive as well
and so it’s a smaller pool that’s available to drive our school buses at
that point,” Ardrey said.
Large Unit District Association Executive Director John Burkey said the
shortage of bus drivers was around before COVID-19, but it’s been
exacerbated in the past 20 months.
Teachers and administrators in some areas are getting behind the wheel
to ensure kids get to school, Burkey said. Some districts are shifting
schedules to accommodate a lack of drivers.
Among the issues are the changes in the labor force. Burkey said
retirees may no longer want to do part-time work.
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A number of things could help, but there’s no easy
fix to the problem.
“I don’t think this problem is going to go away,” Burkey said. “I
think we can do things to make it better, but I don’t think we’re
going to go back to the day of people lined up for bus driver jobs.”
Both Burkey and Ardrey said another factor is the
need for full transportation funding from the state. Some districts
see reductions in state funding through proration. But it may take
more than funding. Burkey suggested rethinking how to get kids to
school.
“I think another thing that we’re looking at a little bit is not
requiring drivers of small vans that transport students to and from
school to require a [commercial driver’s license],” Burkey said.
Ardrey said that’s a workable solution.
“It might open up other community-based opportunities,
community-based jobs, for people that live in the community that may
not want to or pass the CDL,” Ardrey said. |