#NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE DRIVERS#
#NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE LICENSE#

#NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE DRIVERS#

'Due to deadlines provided for in the American Rescue Plan, many school bus contractors around the country have found it difficult to garner new employees and with continued disincentives to return to work, it will become increasingly more difficult to get potential new bus drivers trained, certified, and licensed in time for a return to school,' Macysyn explained in the news release. Curt Macysyn, NSTA's executive director, cited that as particularly problematic, since nearly every school will have begun its new school year by that date, and student transportation has to be 100% operational by the opening of the schools around the country, the news release reports.

6, 2021 unemployment insurance extension provided in the American Rescue Plan.

The actions are seen as necessary by the association in particular due to the Sept. Sasse, and the states of Alabama, Montana, and South Carolina, for taking proactive steps to provide tangible incentives for candidates to enter or re-enter the workforce,' said Carina Noble, senior vice president of communications and external affairs for National Express and president-elect of the NSTA.

#NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE LICENSE#

These actions are seen by the NSTA as a positive development in the quest to have existing commercial driver’s license (CDL) drivers return to work, as well as attracting new employees pursuing career opportunities, according to the association’s news release. If they keep coming in at the same rate, the district should be staffed up for the year, Haney said.In addition, last week several states indicated that they will cease providing enhanced unemployment compensation, instead opting to incentivize citizens returning to the employment pool.

In the weeks since, it has seen an uptick in applications. The district also increased bus-driver pay and offered a program to help people get their commercial licenses. “It was very alarming and very concerning,” he said. Administrators put out the word that office staffers might have to get their commercial driver’s licenses just to get all the kids to and from school. It was down about 30 drivers, so its workforce would have been too small to staff all their routes, said spokesman Jeff Haney. In suburban Salt Lake City, the Canyons School District was in dire straits about a month ago. One Michigan school district was able to find enough drivers by guaranteeing they could work enough hours in the district, including as janitors or in food service, to qualify for health insurance coverage, said Dave Meeuwsen, executive director of the Michigan Association of Pupil Transportation. His company allows bus drivers whose children are at least 1 year old to ride on the bus with them while they work, saving on daycare costs, Redford said. Field trips and sporting events can add more hours for those who want them, said Redford with First Student.

There’s no requirement to work nights, weekends or holidays. Demand for commercial drivers is only increasing with the pandemic-related surge in online shopping, said McFarland with HopSkipDrive.īut working with kids driving a bus can be a rewarding profession, and the hours work well for stay-at-home parents or retirees seeking to supplement their income, contractors say. And people who have them can often find higher-paying work that doesn’t require splitting the day for pickup and drop-off. Driving a school bus requires a commercial driver’s license that can take weeks to obtain. President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered his education secretary to explore possible legal action against states that have blocked school mask mandates and other health measures meant to protect students against COVID-19.Įconomic forces are also at play in the bus driver shortage. Ron DeSantis, who wants to forbid mask mandates, and districts convinced they’re needed to keep kids safe. In Florida, many of the largest school districts are using managers as drivers and implementing other stop-gap measures to get students to class as the school year begins against a statewide political fight over masks between Republican Gov. Greg Abbott initially prohibited Texas school districts from requiring masks, but successful court challenges led the Texas Education Agency on Thursday to suspend enforcement of his ban while the challenges move through the courts.

National school bus driver shortage