School districts all across the State of Pennsylvania are facing a shortage of school bus drivers. This shortage has been happening for years now, but it has gotten out of hand in many parts of the state since the covid-19 pandemic. The question is why and what is being done about it.
The first thing that has to be acknowledged about driving a school bus is that it’s not that easy. Driving a 40 ft bus filled with young children that have been in school all day unable to let out their pent-up exuberance is challenging to say the least. But add in the fact that almost every automobile driver attempts to not be caught behind that big yellow bus that might stop at any moment to discharge children and add to their time getting to where they were heading, demands a driver to be focused and attentive to road conditions and all the while making sure their children are acting with safety in mind. But these things are only part of the reason why the school bus driver shortage has existed.
The other factors that add to this situation are all the requirements that have to be met. A potential driver has to have a good driving record. They have to pass a child abuse background check and pass a school bus driver physical and if they wish to drive in other situations, a DOT physical. They are also to be drug free. This could be challenging due to our present day liberal Democrat’s party’s views about medical marijuana and their numerous attempts to also legalize marijuana for recreational use statewide. The last big hurdle is having to obtain a CDL license. PennDot, not too many years ago, added regulations that new potential drivers had to master, such as a very detailed knowledge of the mechanical workings of a school bus under the hood. This lead to many to either not try to obtain a CDL or not pass their final testing. Those rules are in the process of being loosened in order to hopefully allow more people to pass their tests. Couple this to the fact that most school bus drivers are part-timers that work a split shift, are employed by a school bus company, not the school districts, and are expected to do all of this for pay that for the most part is just slightly higher than what present day fast food restaurants are paying without benefits. While all of this might seem daunting, there are many more training classes and certifications that need to be completed, such as CPR, EPI pen training, being a first reporter for child abuse issues and more.
Also another item that must be added to the equation is that the CDL required to drive a school bus, is the same CDL required to drive truck. Recently the Federal government tightened up the rules about who and how truck and school bus drivers must be trained and certified. These new regulations have made obtaining a CDL expensive. This has lead to many people going to school bus companies to get the CDL training because most bus companies offer to train people for free. But then once they get their CDL and some experience behind the wheel, they leave in order to get a full time position at a higher rate of pay. Finally, all these qualifications and the CDL training require the driver to be re-certified between intervals of every year to once every four years.
So the annual scramble to find school bus drivers continues to happen at the beginning of every school year. School transportation is not held in the same high priority as teachers, so the allocation of funds for transportation is usually way down on the list of priorities. And recognition for the hard work present day school bus drivers are currently performing is limited. So the job of keeping the wheels going around and around is still very challenging.
And don’t forget about monitors who take care of special needs children.. Expected to hop on vans and buses with no training . most newbies just sit in front seat and don’t realize the potential danger the student could be in if they aren’t paying attention. The responsibility of care doesn’t match the pay scale .
I often wonder why school bus driving doesn’t pay as well as other jobs requiring a CDL license, since we are discussing safely transporting our future leaders, scientists and perhaps the next big TikTok sensation! A comparison between wages and benefits packages for school bus drivers vs. CDL positions would probably reveal some shocking discrepancies; let’s give these unsung heroes of transportation their due compensation! “Move over trucks; the big yellow bus is where all the action lies!”
Every time I think about the shortage of school bus drivers, I imagine trying to patch a leaky boat with duct tape – and quickly being back at sea again! Unfortunately, the issue lies not just with training or pay – there is more at play here! For real progress to be made here we require multiple solutions from improved training to better pay and community involvement as well as legislative change; not just duct tape alone! Let’s ditch it now for good – together we could make school bus driving one of the most sought-after job titles at the next career fair!
MAGA 2024