INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Independence Local Schools is heading into the new school year still short on bus drivers — and high school students will again go without bus service this fall.
Last year, the district combined bus routes and eliminated transportation for high school students because it couldn't fill all of its driver positions. Superintendent Kelli Cogan had hoped to reinstate high school busing by spring. That didn't happen.
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The district saw more driver resignations during the past school year and still needs two more drivers to be fully staffed.
To attract new hires, the district approved a package of incentives.
Independence Local Schools will now cover the cost of the required six to eight week training for new drivers and has increased the hourly pay rate.
Cogan said the district is working to change how people think about the job.
"Again, we're just really trying to incentivize and let people know that it is a really great job," she said. "When you talk to our bus drivers, they love it. Our kids are great kids. They know our kids. They are the first people we see in the morning and the last people from the district we see in the afternoons."
The shortage isn't unique to Independence. Doug Palmer, a transportation consultant with Best Bus Logic, said the bus driver shortage is expected to peak around 2030, driven in part by the aging workforce of current drivers. Palmer said school districts are also competing with other employers for part-time workers, and budget cuts across the country make it difficult for schools to offer competitive salaries and incentives.
He said the consequences extend beyond the classroom.
"The school bus is not just for that school, but it's actually a community asset," Palmer said. "When you talk about communities losing funding or communities losing bus service, it impacts the entire community. It's not just a school or a non-public school. It's actually the whole, the whole entire community."
Independence Local Schools plans to continue recruiting drivers through outreach at community events and word of mouth.
