Districts add perks in bid for drivers
Some must use other staff to bus students in ongoing shortage
Faced with ongoing shortages of school bus drivers, school districts across the Houston area are offering better pay and job perks, and some have been forced to call on staff from other departments to cover vacant routes.
Pay boosts and frequent job fairs have become common practice for school districts grappling with persistent driver shortages. Many have been struggling to fill vacancies for years.
“Bus drivers have been a difficult-to-fill position perennially. That was the case pre-pandemic, and it was the case during the pandemic and continues to be true,” said Amy Campbell, human resources director for the Texas Association of School Boards.
The problem was worsened by the pandemic, as school districts saw budget cuts and drivers leaving the workforce.
In the state’s third-largest district, Kayne Smith, director of transportation for the CypressFairbanks Independent School District, said substitute drivers, technicians and office staff are being used to cover route vacancies.
The district has 97 vacancies out of 657 routes, he said. Smith attributes the shortage to an extremely competitive market for candidates with a commercial driver’s license — a requirement for school bus drivers.
To help fill positions, Cy-Fair ISD provides training for bus drivers, Smith said.
Most districts are offering CDL training for staff in response to the shortage, Campbell explained.
“They’re just doing their best to try to find people who are eligible to drive. … They’re not even just trying to find already
licensed people, they’re just trying to find people willing to drive for them, and they’re willing to provide the training,” Campbell said.
‘Have to double up’
Some districts are using outside contractors to help cover vacancies, such as Katy ISD, which has 350 bus drivers and 40 open routes.
The district also announced changes to its elementary bell schedule and some bus routes last year in response to the driver shortage, said Paul Landis, Katy ISD’s executive director of transportation.
Spring Branch ISD is 25 drivers short of being fully staffed at 200 drivers. Director of Transportation Sherri Lawson said the district often hires people who can support more than one department. Bus assistants often assist the child nutrition department.
Magnolia ISD officials said their drivers are taking on additional routes.
“We have to double up on routes and return to the campus to pick up students for the afternoon,” the district said in an email.
Higher pay
Higher wages offered by the private sector is contributing to recruitment and retention challenges for districts, Campbell said.
“Industries are offering really high rates for retail, food service and driving for pet companies,” she said. “All sorts of places are offering very competitive wages, so districts are just trying to keep up.”
According to the TASB, pay for Texas bus drivers is rising faster than rates for other positions. The average rate for drivers increased by 16 percent in the past two years. Starting rates have increased by 11 percent, Campbell said, and the average starting rate this year is $19 an hour.
Spring Branch offers $20 per hour and, for the past two school years, an annual retention stipend of $1,000 for bus drivers.
To stay competitive with surrounding districts, Friendswood ISD recently increased its wages, with a starting wage of $19 an hour.
Magnolia, Willis and Katy ISDs also have a starting pay of $19 per hour.
Many districts offer health care benefits and bonuses, as well as assistance with day care needs for drivers who are parents.
Meanwhile, parents of students find that they must work around delayed bus pickup times or, in some cases, no pickup at all.
Driver shortage challenges are a statewide problem, Campbell said.
Communicating
Houston-area districts are finding new ways to communicate delays and route issues with parents.
Conroe ISD implemented a new technology called Smart Tag to provide real-time bus stop alerts so parents can see the bus’ location, estimated arrival times and delays.
The technology sends updates when the child gets on and off the bus. The new system also notifies parents when their child is 10 minutes away from their stop.
The bus tracking system is used by the Katy, Klein, Montgomery, Cleveland and other districts throughout Houston.
Klein and Montgomery ISDs said they are not currently experiencing driver shortage issues.
Campbell said districts are struggling to fill other positions throughout the education system as well, including specialists in psychology and special education.
“I think the Legislature could certainly help districts by increasing funding,” Campbell said. “As we see cost of living and inflation increasing, district budgets are not increasing proportionately.
“They’re trying to do just as much or more with less buying power in the marketplace. This is things like food that they’re purchasing for students cost more, gas costs, because they’re having to increase pay so that people are paid competitively. I think it really comes down to funding and financial support of districts to continue their good work.”