KSN.com reported that a Kansas school district is in dire need of more bus drivers, requiring eight more bus drivers to be fully staffed. Goddard Public Schools currently employs 62 bus drivers.
“It’s putting a burden on our teachers and staff. We just need more drivers,” said Goddard Public Schools Communication Director Dane Baxa.
Baxa added that some teachers have had to cancel or cut back on field trips because of the bus driver shortage. He said transportation staff, including some of his mechanics who have their Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), have had to drive bus routes.
“I would call this a shortage. We are in need of drivers,” Baxa said. “We need substitute drivers, we need people to work full-time, morning and afternoon routes, evening routes and activity drivers.”
The district has also been forced to consolidate its five bus routes to three bus routes. The consolidation has caused crowding on some of the buses. Baxa said some elementary students have to sit three to a seat for the time being.
Goddard Public Schools has rolled out a social media campaign to get help with recruitment. The campaign consists of videos that showcase a day in the life of a bus driver and the critical role a bus driver plays in a student’s life.
“If you don’t have subs that can make it in, then you have office staff that hop on a bus,” Baxa said. “There may be days where we have to redirect phone calls to central office to answer phones because all hands are on deck at transportation to make sure we can get every kid to and from schools safely.”
