By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Wanted: Someone willing to get behind the wheel of a school bus as early as 5:50 a.m., to drive 60 unchaperoned students to and from school each day.
Not exactly a dream job.
“I’ve always said bus drivers are the bravest people I know. They turn their back on 60 teenagers,” Bowling Green Superintendent Francis Scruci said Monday.
Like many school districts, Bowling Green City Schools is having trouble filling the drivers’ seats in its buses. On Tuesday afternoon, Scruci sent out an email to all parents and guardians informing them of problems the shortage might cause.
Some of the solutions to the shortage will result in some late drop off times on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, according to the email. Following are some of the problems expected:
- On Wednesday, Bus 22 has no driver. Buses possibly impacted will be 4, 8, 20, 21. This will probably delay drop off times for Kenwood Elementary students riding those buses.
- On Thursday, Bus 22 has no driver. Buses possibly impacted will be 4, 8, 20, 21. This will probably delay drop off times for Kenwood Elementary students riding those buses. Also Bus 3 for the high school has no driver. Buses impacted will be 2, 4, 8,17. This will likely delay high school and Crim Elementary students.
- On Friday, Bus 3 for high school has no driver. Buses impacted will be 2, 4, 8, 17. This will likely delay high school and Crim Elementary students.
The email from Scruci ends with this plea: “If you know of anyone interested in becoming certified to drive bus, please forward them to me.”
The district has 21 full-time drivers and 11 substitutes. The problem is that 23 full-time drivers are needed, and seven of the subs have other jobs.
“They are substitutes for a reason, because they don’t want to work full-time,” said Toby Snow, interim co-director of the school transportation department.
The shortage isn’t just affecting regular bus transportation to and from school, but also the shuttling of athletic teams to competitions. Last week, the girls tennis team was more than 1 ½ hours late to matches on two different days.
The district, which is also responsible for transporting students to and from non-public schools and Penta Career Center, delivers as many as 1,700 students each weekday.
Bowling Green isn’t alone with its driver shortage.
“We’re experiencing the same issues that a lot of schools are having,” Scruci said. “There are not a lot of people who want to do it.”
The district tried to attract new drivers by parking a school bus out in front of the high school with a large sign stating the need for more drivers. Two people expressed interest.
The job pays $14.62 to $16.08 an hour, depending on the person’s experience. The driver must go through background checks with BCII and FBI, and have to get a commercial driver’s license.
“It’s going to cost you before you ever get paid,” Snow said.
New drivers must have a minimum of 20 hours of on-board instruction, plus attend a four-day class.
“There’s a lot to it,” Scruci said.
The shortage means that Snow, a bus mechanic, has to drive a route each day.
“It’s become a real issue, route wise,” he said. “It’s not good for the students, it’s not good for the parents.”
There are positives to driving bus, Scruci said.
“Some people say it’s rewarding,” he said. “They are the first person some of the kids see in the morning, and the last in the afternoon. Kids are our most valued resources. We want to make sure they get to school and home OK.”
But those kids are also challenging passengers at times. “There are expectations and rules they have to follow, but kids are going to be kids,” Scruci said.
The pay is part of the problem, according to Snow.
“When I tell people the pay for transporting 60 kids at a time, they say it would cost a lot more money to get them to turn their back on 60 kids,” he said.
But people should not be intimidated by the size of the buses.
“If you can drive a full-size pickup truck, you can drive a bus,” Snow said. “It’s not as complicated as it looks.”
