The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district has been dealing with a bus driver shortage for months, an issue that persists nationwide. The week of February 20 was the worst the district has seen this school year, with 21 bus routes not running and 25 out of 42 transportation employees not reporting to work.
Many drivers reported symptoms of COVID-19 or feeling ill, and the shortage affected morning routes from Monday, February 20 to Wednesday, February 22. The situation slightly improved Thursday morning, though some buses arrived at the school an hour or more late.
Families were asked to make alternate transportation arrangements for their children and had the option to call and request a bus. These requested buses ran after their normal routes and picked up children later than nine a.m., well after all schools had started. Students who arrived at school after the bell were not counted “tardy,” but they had to miss valuable instructional time.
Many families do not have the option to drive their children into school, especially families with two working parents or guardians. The option for students to drive themselves to school is also unrealistic for many families. If students have to miss instructional time in order to ride a bus, the district should consider making changes to the school day to accommodate every situation.
A virtual learning day would have suited the district well on Monday, February 20, allowing families to make plans and make sure no student misses a class. A virtual day would also have eliminated stress on families about driving their children to school. The transportation department would have had more time to receive alternate bus requests and combine buses so that all students could get to school.
The ongoing driver shortage is due in large part to the hourly salaries that school bus drivers receive. The district just approved a plan for new bus driver wages, but low salaries have propelled the driver shortage nationwide. Drivers in the district previously made $16.50 per hour, a wage that fell just below the 2023 living wage of $16.60 per hour. Bus drivers work an average of only five to six hours per day if they drive morning and afternoon routes. With the irregular working hours of a driver, many are unable to accommodate a second job, though drivers are only part-time employees in the district
The district approved a $20 wage for new hires at a school board meeting the week of February 13. Current school bus drivers will receive either the $20 wage or a pay increase, whichever is higher, this coming July.
The board should have approved the pay raise for current employees right away and implemented incentives for bus drivers to stay, including granting them full-time status so they can qualify for retirement and healthcare benefits. If students cannot get to school, the issue should be at the front of the minds of the school board and individual school administrations.
With the shortage, students are waiting in the bus lot late after school, and the carpool lines are much longer than normal. Some students are waiting until five p.m. after school for their bus and many have to ride a bus on its second route. Waiting in the morning and the afternoon takes personal and academic time from students. It’s clear that the school district must create an equitable, long-term solution that meets the needs of all families and students.
