Average starting-pay at the 50 largest school-bus companies rose to 16.90 an hour in 2017, up from 16.24 in 2016. "If you're not from our community, you have no idea what some parents are up against, and school is like a saving grace for these kids," she said. Drivers also often have to undergo extensive drug tests and background checks. "We can't stand for that, so we have to figure a way to get them in, because it's the same kids every time – the poorest kids, the neediest kids are the ones that are getting missed and we just weren't going to let that happen," Kovach said. The schools call the fire station with the updated list of kids each morning and thankful parents give permission. That's why Kovach started picking up kids in his personal vehicle early in the morning and in between calls in the afternoon. They get fed breakfast, lunch and a lot of times dinner, and a lot of these kids - that's what they depend on to eat," Kovach said. "I think what a lot of people don't understand is they don't just go to school. "When they miss, they feel left out, they know they missed something, and when they come back, they don't know what happened the day before, they're trying to make up work," Francis McClure Elementary School Assistant Principal Lisa Miracle-Volpe said. Some of the little ones already missed a full week's worth of teaching. Just a month ago driver call-offs were prompting as many as five canceled bus routes a day. The district has five replacement drivers in the testing phase and four in the process of getting road permits, Bryan said.Dozens of local kids were stranded either at home or after the final bell. Pittsburgh Public School Transportation Chief Megan Patton says the situation is getting better. School districts and bus contractors have cited low pay as a reason for high turnover among bus drivers. "I know it's just harder for the kids to get up earlier," she said. while her daughter in middle school has to be ready to leave between 7-7:15 a.m, so a shift in their schedules would worry her a little. She says her daughter in high school has to be at her bus stop around 6:30 a.m. "That's a little concerning because that's a lot of children on one bus," Rexrode said. with honors from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She said while her high shool-aged daughter said the driver shortage hasn't seemed to affect her, her daughter in middle school said her bus is overcrowded, with some of the students being packed in three to a seat. Miller joined the BVSD team as the executive director of the East. Parents will be notified if the district makes changes to children's pick-up and drop-off times, he said.ĭawn Rexrode has a middle school-aged and high school-aged daughter in the district. "A single run may have to make a double run, which means we may have to alter the times for some students leaving the school and arriving to school so these buses can make the double routes in order to transport these kids," Steele said. Superintendent Mark Steele says the district expected the shortage and is working to bring in more drivers and modify bus routes and schedules. The agency is hosting a massive job fair on Friday. "We're not trying to do anything that will majorily impact the students." The Port Authority needs 100 new bus drivers and about 50 maintenance workers. It will probably be a five to 10 minute difference," Bryan said. Pennsylvania is contacting 375,000 holders of commercial driver's licenses in a recruitment campaign meant to ease a severe shortage of school bus drivers, officials said Thursday. "The changes should not be drastic in time. Multiple bus contracting agencies throughout the county provide the district with drivers.īryan said Thursday morning that transportation staff are trying to consolidate some of the routes and have school staff assist with quickly getting students off the buses so the bus drivers can go back out to pick up more kids.Īnd he said he doesn't anticipate students waiting much longer than they already do at their bus stops. The district is 13 drivers short, according to an email from Indian River's transportation systems analyst Tyler Bryan. Indian River School District says it is facing a critical shortage of bus drivers, a little more than a week into the start of the school year.
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