New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
School districts grappling with bus driver shortage
New Haven didn’t face lack, but reported some delays
The wheels on the bus sat perfectly still this week in some parts of the state, as bus companies say a nationwide shortage of drivers meant there were not enough available to pick up every student as schools reopened
their doors after the summer.
The shortage had a significant impact in Hamden, where the cancellation of some bus routes on the first day of the school left 318 students scrambling for a Plan B, officials said.
The district was not alone in its quest for drivers. Across the state districts have reported pockets of driver shortages, with bus companies saying they — like other businesses — are having a hard time filling jobs, in part due to the pandemic. District have had to review routes and make changes in routes.
Lorrie Rodrigue, superintendent of the Newtown Public Schools, said in an Aug. 27 letter to parents that contractor All-Star Transportation also has encountered worker shortages, leading to some bus route changes in the district to ensure full coverage.
“A variety of factors have played a role in hiring new drivers, including a backlog of individuals waiting for background checks, training, and licensure as part of the process,” she said in the letter.
“Members of All-Star Transportation have worked hard to navigate this issue in Newtown and in many other districts they serve. This included reviewing the routes and bus stops based on current ridership to ensure there would be adequate coverage.”
A representative for All-Star declined to comment Tuesday. The company serves multiple Connecticut school districts, including Newtown, Brookfield, Torrington and Ansonia.
Laurie Pallin, superintendent of of schools for Montville Public Schools, said the town has experienced a bus driver shortage for more than three years.
As a result, the school district has tried to depopulate buses by decreasing the number of stops and increasing the number of students who walk to school, giving drivers a
bonus for referring new hires and allowing them to bring their minor children with them on the bus during their runs to alleviate child care concerns.
Torrington Superintendent of Schools Susan Lubomski said the district also uses All-Star Transportation, which hires its own drivers.
“Every bus company throughout the state is always looking for drivers,” Lubomski said.
Fran Rabinowitz, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, said that when bus companies do not have enough staffing for substitute drivers, it can can lead to unexpected logistical problems.
“What I have heard from superintendents is they had enough drivers — many tell me they had enough, but they had absolutely no substitutes,” she said. “If a bus driver is out for illness, it’s better than them working while sick, but you always want to have substitutes available.”
In Danbury, the school board voted in June to extend the contract with its bus company, Student Transportation of America, for another four years. As part of the deal, the school district added 10 buses and suspended contract increases to the bus company. Five of those buses were needed for enrollment growth, while the other five were required for a new school for kindergartners in neighboring Brookfield.
In Hamden, an email sent to parents and shared with the New Haven Register listed eight impacted bus routes, one of which
serviced private schools. Some of the routes were canceled completely, while others operated only in the morning or afternoon, according to the email.
The district’s bus company, First Student, had told the district the previous Friday that it would be unable to cover those routes due to a driver shortage, Hamden Public Schools COO Tom Ariola said. Hamden Public Schools informed families of the issue over the weekend, he said.
By Tuesday, First Student had transferred drivers from within the region to cover the routes, Ariola said.
But the situation remains precarious.
“We’re running on a … razor-thin line for error because if one or two bus drivers call out then there’s gonna be significant delays,” Ariola said. In that case, drivers would take on multiple routes, completing one before beginning the next, he said.
The CFO will be up early every morning to make sure there are enough drivers for the day. If not, he will contact families via the district’s app and all-call system to warn them of delays, he said.
Pandemic shortage
According to the nonprofit Connecticut School Transportation Association, student transportation carriers in Connecticut transport nearly 500,000 children to and from school daily.
The association notes online that “Connecticut Needs School Bus Drivers Now” and provides access for potential drivers to check for openings around the state.
Jay Brock, a spokesman for First Student, called driver staffing a challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The student transportation industry was already managing a bus driver shortage before COVID-19, and the pandemic has only exacerbated the situation,” he said. “We are no different than so many other job sectors that are struggling to fill openings, including retail, restaurants and hotels.”
Brock said that while the company’s goal “is to ensure transportation service resumes as seamlessly as possible following summer break, a need for drivers could affect some bus routes.”
“Unfortunately, a number of our drivers decided not to return to work this school year for various reasons,” Brock said.
New Haven Public Schools, which also has a transportation contract with First Student, did not have significant driver shortages Monday, according to district spokesman Justin Harmon. But over the summer, New Haven school officials learned that First Student began offering a $5,000 signing bonus for certified school bus drivers. The starting pay rate for district bus drivers is $20,110.
The New Haven district has roughly 350 buses that transport about 17,800 students daily, including nearly 2,000 that come from out of town to New Haven magnet schools.
With all districts in the state recruiting drivers, New Haven officials said experienced drivers will go to where they can make the most.
“At First Student, we understand the importance of what we do, which is why we continue to actively recruit, hire, and train new drivers,” Brock said. “We offer significant incentives, including an aggressive compensation package, which includes full medical benefits and sign-on bonuses up to $5,000 for each new driver.”
New Haven schools spokesman Justin Harmon said there was a problem Tuesday with late buses — at one school in particular — and while morning buses have run more or less on time, the district is experiencing longer delays at dismissal. “We are working to understand the cause so we can address it,” he said.
Harmon said the district now has “enough drivers.” But “this is a matter of the sequencing of bus pick up and drop offs, as well as conditions such as traffic,” Harmon said.
Although the shortage has thrown some school districts’ transportation logistics into flux, others said their experience had been more like New Haven’s, with either minor gripes or no problems.
Jonathan Supranowitz, director of communications for the Greenwich Public Schools, said “we are lucky to not be experiencing a bus driver shortage in our district.”
On the first day of classes on Wednesday, “our first morning was very typical of past years while everyone gets used to their new routes. And traffic and weather caused some minor delays,” he said.
Officials with Guilford, West Haven, Bozrah, Region 12, Madison, Ridgefield and East Lyme said they are unaffected by a shortage of bus drivers. Despite the shortages in some areas, First Student provides buses for New Haven, Bozrah and East Lyme, while All-Star provides transportation to Region 12.
Winchester Public Schools Superintendent Melony Brady-Shanley said the district, which is serviced by All-Star, is down one driver.
“We have had to consolidate some runs to ensure that all students who are eligible for the bus have transportation. All-Star Transportation has been extremely proactive with regards to communication and planning,” she said.