Districts across the nation are struggling to hire enough drivers to shuttle kids to school, and some states have become creative, including Massachusetts, where the Governor had National Guard members drive school transport vans.
MA Gov. Charlie Baker said 250 Guard personnel will be available to serve as drivers of school transport vans. They’ll begin training Tuesday, with some 90 of them to be initially deployed in four diverse cities north of Boston – Chelsea, Lawrence, Lowell, and Lynn.
The shortage of school bus drivers isn't limited to Massachusetts.
In Rochester, New York, a school district had plans to begin the school year remote due to numerous bus driver resignations. They ultimately decided to have in-person learning, but asked parents to drive their kids to school or have them walk.
Last week, Milwaukee Public Schools said the district was about 100 drivers short for its fleet of 700 buses.
What is missing from the USA Today articles? A reason why there aren't enough bus drivers.
I have a lifetime of experience, as everyone else does, that offers enough evidence that I can make a scientific wild ass guess (swag) why adults are not only not applying for the job, but resigning from the job, in such large numbers.
They refuse to drive the sneezing coughing petri dish of flu viruses called school children, twice a day, 5 days a week, because the germy kids aren't very good at staying home when sick and contagious, plus, there wasn't any approved medicine (aka what is known as the covid vaccine(it's not, by definition, a vaccine)) until this week, for kids under 12, and even though one was approved, not many kids are going to be vaccinated until it's distributed
Vaccine
ReplyDeletea substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases, prepared from the causative agent of a disease, its products, or a synthetic substitute, treated to act as an antigen without inducing the disease.
Funny you would mention the Milwaukee Public Schools issue. As you can tell by the early hour, for some reason I'm up and about. The bus driver shortage in Milwaukee has everything to do with it. I've been driving my grandson to and from school since it started recently, a distance of about 6.5 miles, because of the driver shortage. I'm skeptical about your "swag" analysis, and am inclined to think the shortage has more to do with crappy pay and schedules. Up early in the morning, drive to the bus lot and get your vehicle. Off you go into the sunrise on your route. My grandson (a high school junior) tells me he's seldom on time to school, given the length of the route he's on. So it's drop the kids off after a fight for position with the other late buses (there are a lot of them), then back to the bus lot at about 9 or so. Then you have about 4.5/5 hours before you can do it all again, in reverse. Any personal business is limited to that window. So with all the jobs that go begging these days, what incentive is there for someone to take a part-time gig that doesn't pay particularly well, with a schedule that basically screws their whole day up? Much better to take a straight 8 hour job that in all probability would pay more and provide a reasonable schedule.
ReplyDeleteDang it, I meant to mention the low pay and forgot. Summed up, health vs low paying job with xtra germs, PLUS noisy kids, possibly even rowdy and obnoxious, and the terrible hours.
DeleteI had a bus ride to high school that took about 75 minutes each way. I slept on that bus ride, a lot.
Don't forget, the " PARENTS are always right " mentality that most district have to abide by. The drivers can't say or look at the kids crossed eyed without getting into trouble. I been a bus mechanic for 27 years and have talked with so many drivers over the years, there is a trend happening with kids and their attitudes, and it's not a good trend! The hours is big concern for drivers, they basically have to go to work twice a day, so twice the fuel and twice the wear and tear on the cars. Pay is not all that great and having a minimum of 6 hours ( my district ) per day excludes them from full benefits. Covid has some part in the shortage but not all, I believe its the willingness to get licensed and trained, the high stress put on them for not much pay. You drive a dump truck for a lot more money with out have to haul germ donkeys arounds.
ReplyDeleteWow, good comment, and excellent point about the dump truck driver having a better job!
DeleteThe solution is to stop bussing the kids. Gt Bend Ks schools simply pay the parents that live a certain distance from school to drive their kids to school. It means a lot fewer buses to buy and maintain and fewer drivers to hire. And if the parents carpool so much the better.
ReplyDeleteI drove school buses for 12 years back in the 80's - 90's in California, most fun job I've ever had. Specially when I became the "trip" driver instead of doing daily route, which I enjoyed too.
ReplyDelete"Germy kids" was never a concern for me or any driver I ever spoke with.
But I won't do it any more.
The issue is more what Rik said. Lousy pay, and split shifts where you only get 4 hours a day (2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon).
But the main issue is societies attitude towards discipline. The districts and the parents don't back up the drivers when issues arise and the kids know it. In our "modern" culture, no one is allowed to "provide correction" to these children.
Try driving a 40' bus with 79 passengers sitting BEHIND you, that you are not allowed to discipline or even speak harshly too without getting threatened with child abuse, while at the same time navigating the roads with people totally distracted by cell phones and other gadgets. I had to deal with this back then, can only imagine how much worse it is now.
Most of the people we hired were wives whose husbands had great jobs and they just wanted to work a few hours and make a little extra spending money. We used to say, "sooner or later we're going to run out of farmers wives to hire, then what will do?"
Sounds like they finally ran out...
Good point!
DeleteBest... Trip... EVER!
ReplyDelete