The solution to the nationwide school bus driver shortage could be behind the scenes.
Twelve states have adopted behind-the-scenes waivers to address school bus driver shortages.
School is in full swing, and parents, teachers, and K-12 students across the country are getting used to their daily lives. Parents rely on school buses to transport their children to and from campus on time. But an ongoing shortage of school bus drivers is causing chaos in school districts across the country. Nearly 25 million K-12 public school students across the United States rely on school buses for daily transportation during this time, according to a 2022 report from the Brookings Institution. School year. But in recent years, students have begun arriving late to class and returning home late at night. At the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, Jefferson County Public Schools, Kentucky’s largest school district, canceled classes for several days as students waited hours for school buses to take them home safely. I was forced to. “We had to wait at school for four hours for the bus to come. It was a little scary,” said Terry, a 10-year-old student from Louisville. In Baltimore, busing was a no-no for some students. show. “Most of the time, my grandchildren are at the bus stop, but sometimes the bus doesn’t come, so my son-in-law or daughter-in-law has to take them to school,” Cindy Gunung said. . , transportation company HopSkipDrive began monitoring the school bus driver shortage through a national survey. This summer, 92% of school districts and transportation companies responding to HopSkipDrive reported that the driver shortage was impacting their operations. Two years ago, it was 78%. Campbell Milm, vice president of communications, explained that the shortage has been a long-standing problem, but has been “exacerbated by the pandemic.” The report also looked at which students were most affected. “We have so many students who still need to go to school, especially those who are highly mobile or have special needs, that we are really seeing reaching a crisis point. Milam said low-income students are also being affected. . “When you think about these groups, students are experiencing homelessness, and students in foster care are often highly mobile. They move from place to place multiple times. So, It’s critical that we have a transportation system that can meet these needs. “The reasons behind the shortages” Molly McGee Hewitt, president of the National Association for Pupil Transportation, says she is seeing shortages that are widespread. “This is a national issue and an issue that extends to our Canadian friends,” she said. “It affects every state. It doesn’t affect every state equally… but I don’t think there’s a school district in this country that hasn’t been affected by this shortage in some way.” Maggie Hewitt told Hearst National Bureau of Investigation that she was benefiting from it. , low wages, rapid retirements and stress are some of the reasons for the nationwide talent shortage, and “you have to be licensed. You have to pass background checks and other training,” McGee said. Mr. Hewitt said. “You’re not only responsible for a very large vehicle that’s complex to drive, but you’re also responsible for the lives of everyone on that bus. So this is quite a responsibility.” Inside ‘s long list of solution duties includes identifying school bus engine parts. Kurt Masin, executive director of the National School Transportation Association, explained that applicants must pass internal requirements to obtain a school bus commercial driver’s license, or CDL. “Essentially, this requirement requires driver candidates to actually raise the hood of the vehicle, but they may also be shorter or, in some cases, a little older, so this is a difficult challenge for them. .”He said. “So, apart from the physical requirements, you have to actually go into the field and identify the parts of the engine, which is a very intimidating process for many candidates.”The National Association of Pupil Transportation We asked the Business Safety Commission. Since bus drivers cannot drop off students at any time, they asked the administration to exempt them from the requirement to drive inside the bus, even to check the engine. When a school bus experiences engine trouble, the driver calls for dispatch, and a mechanic is dispatched to the broken down bus. On January 4, 2022, the Department of Transportation, Department of Education, and FMCSA granted the exemption. “Federal waivers will help areas with school bus driver shortages,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement, “allowing states to focus on testing requirements critical to safety.” “This will allow us to secure additional qualified drivers.” “The internal exemption is scheduled to expire on November 27, 2024. So far, only 12 states have chosen to take advantage of the exemption. These states include Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, They include Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. It remains to be determined why the remaining 38 states did not adopt the exemption. Part of the feedback was that it all boils down to the cost of updating IT systems, Macy-Shin said, adding that he is currently working to make the behind-the-scenes exemption into a permanent solution. “We’re talking to people on Capitol Hill, and many of us think there’s a benefit to discussing here how the current system creates a clear disincentive for new candidates.” “I think there is,” he explained. “So we might attack this at the Congressional level as well. If you look at this, it’s like mandating all 50 states.” Parents get their kids to school and home on time. All you can do is find creative ways to make it happen. before it gets dark. The Hearst Television National Investigations Unit is based in Washington, DC. Reid Bolton, Christopher Salas, and Kara O. contributed to this article. Carla O. is a “Hiring Our Heroes” military fellow at the Hearst Television National Investigative Unit in Washington, D.C. From 2018 she served in the U.S. Marine Corps until 2023.
School is in full swing, and parents, teachers, and K-12 students across the country are getting used to their daily routines. Parents rely on school buses to transport their children to and from campus on time. However, the shortage of school bus drivers continues, causing confusion in school districts across the country.
According to a 2022 report from the Brookings Institution, 25 million K-12 public school students across the United States rely on school buses As a daily transportation during the school year. But in recent years, students have begun arriving late to class and returning home late at night.
At the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, Jefferson County Public Schools, Kentucky’s largest school district, canceled classes for several days as students waited hours for school buses to take them home safely. I was forced to. “We had to wait at school for four hours for the bus to come. It was a little scary,” said Terry, a 10-year-old student from Louisville.
In Baltimore, the bus was a no-show for some students. “Most of the time, my grandchildren are at the bus stop, but sometimes the bus doesn’t come, so my son-in-law or daughter-in-law has to take them to school,” Cindy Gunung said. .
In 2021, transportation company HopSkipDrive began monitoring the school bus driver shortage through a national survey. This summer, 92% of school districts and transportation companies responding to HopSkipDrive reported that the driver shortage was impacting their operations. Two years ago, it was 78%. Campbell Milm, vice president of communications, explained that the shortage has been a long-standing problem, but has been “exacerbated by the pandemic.”
The report also looked at which students were most affected. “We have so many students who still need to go to school, especially those who are highly mobile or have special needs, that we are really seeing reaching a crisis point. Milam said low-income students are also being affected. . “When you think about these groups, students are experiencing homelessness, and students in foster care are often highly mobile. They move from place to place multiple times. So, It is very important that we have a transportation system that can accommodate these needs.”
Reason for shortage
Molly McGee Hewitt, president of the National Pupil Transportation Association, explains that she has seen widespread shortages. “This is a national issue and is beyond our scope. canadian friend“It affects every state,” she said. Not all states are affected equally… but I doubt there is a school district in this country that hasn’t been affected by this shortage in some way. ”
Maggie Hewitt told the Hearst National Bureau of Investigation that the national labor shortage is due to poor benefits, low pay, rapid retirements and stress.
“You have to have a license. You have to pass a background check and other training,” McGee-Hewitt said. “You’re not only responsible for a very large vehicle that’s complex to drive, but you’re also responsible for the lives of everyone on that bus. So it’s quite a responsibility.”
internal solution
One of the key elements in the long list of duties is identifying the components of a school bus engine.
Kurt Masin, executive director of the National School Transportation Association, explained that applicants must pass internal requirements to obtain a school bus commercial driver’s license (CDL). “Essentially, this requirement requires driver candidates to actually raise the hood of the vehicle, but they may also be shorter or, in some cases, a little older, so this is a difficult challenge for them. .”He said. “So apart from the physical requirements, you have to actually identify the engine components, which is a very scary process for many candidates.”
The National Association for Student Transportation has asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to waive the under-the-hood requirement because bus drivers cannot remove students at any time, even to check the engine. When a school bus has engine trouble, the driver calls dispatch and a mechanic is dispatched to the broken bus.
January 4, 2022, Department of Transportation, Department of Education, FMCSA exemption granted. “Federal waivers will help areas with school bus driver shortages,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement, “allowing states to focus on testing requirements critical to safety.” “This will allow us to secure additional qualified drivers.” I’m behind the wheel to get the kids to school safely. ”
The internal exemption is scheduled to expire on November 27, 2024.
So far, only 12 states have chosen to take advantage of the exemption. These states include Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.
It is necessary to clarify why the remaining 38 states did not adopt the exemption. Macy-Shin said some of the feedback from the district boils down to the cost of updating IT systems.
Matheson said he is currently working to make the behind-the-scenes exemption a permanent solution. “We’re talking to people on Capitol Hill, and many say there’s a benefit to discussing here how the current system creates a clear disincentive for new candidates. “I think so,” he explained. “So we might attack this at the Congressional level as well. If you look at this, it’s like mandating it in all 50 states.”
Parents have no choice but to find creative ways to get their kids to school on time and home before dark.
Hearst Television National Investigations Bureau is based in Washington, DC. Reed Bolton, Christopher Salas and Carla O. contributed to this article. Carla O. is a “Hiring Our Heroes” military fellow at the Hearst Television National Investigative Unit in Washington, D.C. From 2018 she served in the U.S. Marine Corps until 2023.