Enough bus drivers? For school districts from Marlborough to Medway it's mixed results
Bus drivers make students' days according to one bus vendor; however, some school districts are facing understaffing for school bus drivers.
School districts across the MetroWest region have been feeling the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns and other staffing issues.
Marlborough Public School's Director of Finance and Operations Thomas Lafleur said in an interview that the district is still building out the routes and are looking at having 36 routes, and Marlborough's transportation provider reported being four drivers down as of late last week, according to Lafleur.
Despite the fact that recreational cannabis is legal in Massachusetts, a lot of contractors have a zero-tolerance policy, LeFleur explained. This means that one positive test and a driver could lose their job.
"A lot of our drivers, pre-COVID, were older so they backed off, it's starting to self-correct though," Lafleur said.
Marlborough Schools has not created all of the routes as of Aug. 3. Lafleur said that getting help from other school districts such as Assabet Regional Technical High School could be a solution to the problem.
The school district uses North Reading Transportation (NRT). LeFleur said that his former district also used NRT, and recruitment has been consistent and constant. "(NRT) is running a school that provides training and getting (drivers) licensed," LeFleur said.
"It's a national problem, and COVID put a damper on it. We haven't done the routing but by the time we do, we'll have a few more drivers as well," LeFleur said.
Did last spring's bus driver strike resolve any issues?
The school district's bus drivers had a worker's strike last spring after the bus company and Teamsters Local 170 failed to reach a new agreement. Teamsters Local 170 represents bus drivers and monitors in Framingham, Marlborough and Westborough. A strike was avoided in Framingham and Westborough.
Each contract in each municipality is negotiated separately.
Local bus drivers cited a reduction in hours, as well as bus drivers and monitors failing to get a raise, as key issues that prevented them from signing a contract.
As a result of the strikes, bus drivers in Marlborough have some of the highest hourly rates in the area. "Hopefully we will not have the experience of last spring," Lafleur said.
Lizzy Guyton of co-founding partner of South and Hill Strategies said NRT is pursuing several recruitment efforts and has increased wages to hire more bus and van drivers.
"As we continue to prepare for the upcoming school year, our hiring numbers are outpacing last year’s thanks to recruitment and training efforts, virtual hiring events, competitive wages and hiring bonuses,": Guyton, the spokesperson for the company, said. We remain in constant communication with school districts to ensure students and families have reliable and safe transportation.”
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Medway Public Schools one of the districts without a school bus driver shortage
Some districts are not feeling these effects, however. In Medway, Director of Finance and Operations Pat Leonhardt said Medway Public Schools is feeling positive going into the upcoming summer. "We've been working with our vendor all summer and we're feeling well-situated."
Medway Public Schools uses Norfolk-based W.T. Holmes Transportation Company for their bus transportation. Leonhardt said the school district currently has no issue with staffing.
Julie Vendetti-Lomberto of Vendetti Bus Company has been in the industry since 1967. Vendetti-Lomberto said they've been grinding and doing as well as they can. Vendetti Bus Company offers paid training and training and attendance bonuses.
"We're not 100% there but we're filling in as best we can," Vendetti-Lomberto said. She added the biggest challenge is sports trips.
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Vendetti bus company serves Bellingham, Milford, Foxborough Regional Charter School, Northbridge, Uxbridge, Blackstone Valley Tech and a couple of busses for Norfolk CountyAgricultural High School.
Vendetti-Lomberto said they've been working with the school districts to take a team approach.
"It's a very rewarding job, we have several drivers who are third generation," Vendetti-Lomberto said. "We're the first person a student sees, we make their day. By us smiling or saying good morning to them that could be the first time someone has spoken to them. I can't think of another profession where someone gives their child over for six hours and not know the person."
She added, "There's a big sense of pride and reward. Bus drivers are the heart and soul ... It's a very rewarding and underappreciated job."
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: School bus driver shortage: How Massachusetts suburbs are staffed
