The start of school is just over a month away and local districts tell us they are working to fill school bus driver vacancies. Some say they have dozens of openings, while others say they are fully staffed. By mid-summer, things are looking a little better for Upsate school districts. According to Greenville County Schools spokesman Tim Waller, the district has about 60 vacancies for bus drivers, an improvement from more than 100 just a few years ago. “It seems like a big number; it’s a gap we’d like to close, but it’s not. People are always coming and going for various reasons,” says Waller. He says that’s largely due to the pay increases they offer drivers, including bonuses for staying in the district. “Over the years, we have increased our Gone are the days when bus drivers made very little money. “School districts, including ours, have increased their pay to make it attractive,” he explains. In Union County, the district says there are only 2 openings for nearly 30 buses. Transportation Director Sammy Tucker says the lack of full staffing has a ripple effect on students and their families. “Sometimes discipline, so that can be a problem, then parents call, they want to know if the student is on the bus, because “They don’t get home when they normally do.” come home. That can be a problem,” he says. Tucker says the Union County School District also offers bonuses to get “We offer a bonus to drivers if they don’t.” If they miss that many days, they receive a bonus. We test for the CDL driver’s license,” he says. The trend is similar in many districts we spoke to. Laurens District 56 and Greenwood District 52 say they filled all of their bus driver positions. In the Pickens County, the district has 11 openings for nearly 120 bus driver positions.
GREENVILLE, South Carolina —
With school starting just over a month away, local districts are telling us they are working to fill school bus driver vacancies.
Some say they have dozens of openings, while others say they are fully staffed.
By mid-summer, things are looking a little better for Upsate school districts. According to Greenville County Schools spokesman Tim Waller, the district has about 60 vacancies for bus drivers, an improvement from more than 100 just a few years ago.
“It seems like a big number, it’s a gap we’d like to close, but it’s not a huge number. People are always coming and going for various reasons,” Waller says.
He says that’s largely due to the pay increases they offer drivers, including bonuses for staying in the district.
“Over the years, we have increased our pay rate. Gone are the days when bus drivers made very little money. School districts, including ours, have increased their pay rate to make it attractive,” he explains.
In Union County, the district says there are only 2 vacancies for nearly 30 buses. Transportation Director Sammy Tucker says the lack of full staffing has a ripple effect on students and their families.
“Sometimes discipline, so that can be a problem, so parents call, they want to know if the student is on the bus, because they’re not going to get home when they normally get home. That can be a problem there,” he said . she says.
Tucker says the Union County School District also offers bonuses to get
“We offer a bonus to drivers. If they don’t miss that many days, they get a bonus. We do tests to obtain the CDL driving license,” he says.
The trend is similar in many districts we spoke to. Laurens District 56 and Greenwood District 52 say they filled all of their bus driver positions. In Pickens County, the district has 11 openings for nearly 120 bus driver positions.
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