School districts in St. Clair, Sanilac counties discuss transportation as school year nears

Schools across the country have been experiencing a shortage of bus drivers. For St. Clair and Sanilac counties, the experience is a mixed bag.

Some districts vary in the number of drivers they have and need. While some need as many as 69, others only require four. But one shared thought echoed by all the school districts is that bus driver positions are hard to fill once they become open. As the school year approaches, some districts are struggling to get coverage.

Croswell-Lexington Schools currently has 15 full-time bus drivers, but Lori Martin, the transportation director, said she would prefer to have 18. Although the district has enough drivers to cover the routes, Martin said an issue comes up if a driver needs to call out for the day.

“It’s just very hard to find a person that fits that niche and can work a couple of hours in the morning and again in the afternoon,” Martin said.

For this school year, Cros-Lex has 15 bus routes. Last year, one route was cut from the schedule because there weren’t enough drivers.

Memphis Community Schools had to cut one of its routes because there were not enough drivers. The district has had an open bus driver job posting since January. Superintendent Sara Dobbelaer said the district wants to make the position attractive to applicants, so the position is full-time with benefits.

“We are hoping to attract at least two new hires,” Dobbelaer said.

Memphis currently has seven bus routes and drivers.

Although Algonac Community Schools reported it has enough drivers for its bus routes, Superintendent Al Latosz said transportation coverage is thin. Algonac has a contract with Dean Transportation, a bus service based in Livonia. Latosz said the district has struggled to fill routes when drivers are sick.

"Last year, we had to double up some routes, which meant more students for one bus, to make sure everyone was picked up," he said.

“I don’t know how severe it is, but I do know they’ve been struggling a bit to keep up with the amount of open positions,” he said.

East China also has enough drivers to cover all the bus routes, but the district would like more. The district hope to attract and train new drivers for the school year.

“There are concerns that there may be some extended absences from drivers, and that would require us to hire additional staff,” Superintendent Suzanne Cybulla said.

East China has 22 drivers and routes.

Some districts are doing well

Fortunately, not all districts are experiencing a bus driver shortage. Port Huron Area Schools currently has a surplus of drivers. There are 69 drivers for the district’s 59 bus routes. Also, six additional drivers are currently being trained.

“The one major challenge that we face is the same one for every bus driver across the country, establishing bus expectations for students and ensuring that students have a positive and safe ride to school each day,” Shawn Shackelford, executive director of student support and diversity, said in an email.

Carsonville-Port Sanilac Schools has no issues with bus driver retainment. Superintendent Doug Muxlow said the four bus routes for the district are covered.

“We’ve been pretty fortunate,” he said. “We have four routes, four drivers and one sub, so that’s pretty good.”

Capac Community Schools also has not had many issues with its transportation. Superintendent Jeff Terpenning said his district has not needed to adjust its bus routes.

“Our drivers are very dedicated and we’re very proud of them,” he said in a voicemail.

After hiring a new driver for this school year, Sandusky Community Schools was able to bring back one of its routes. Additionally, two maintenance workers for the district are certified drivers, so they are able to step in if a bus driver is unavailable for the day.

“We expect (drivers) to be the first smiling face kids see in the morning and afternoon, so it’s important to get the right personalities who can interact with all ages,” Superintendent Paul Flynn said.

The district now has eight routes and drivers.

St. Clair County RESA had a small shortage in drivers last year, but recently the district is experiencing an uptick in applications. RESA also contracts its drivers though Dean Transportation. In the last month, the district has interviewed 10 people for driver positions.

"We offer good wages and benefits," Art Czachowski, director of Dean Transportation, said. "This is a good company to work for."

RESA has 145 drivers and routes.

How schools are keeping drivers

School districts in both counties are making efforts to retain their drivers. This includes giving benefits, increasing pay and paying extra for driving irregular routes. These efforts are also being used to attract new drivers to districts.

Sandusky Community Schools increased the pay for its drivers and offers bonus pay for driving field trips or sports games.

“They get paid extra for extra trips, and they’re voluntary, the drivers sign up to take those,” Flynn said.

Additionally, Sandusky offers bonuses for all staff in the fall.

In addition to pay raises, Muxlow said he attributes driver retention to the good atmosphere Carsonville-Port Sanilac Schools provides for its staff. He said the staff supports each other the best they can.

“It’s a good environment and we’ve been very fortunate,” he said. “We have some teachers and coaches who have offered to get certified and permits to drive, too.”

People interested in bus driver positions can contact the central offices of the school districts or apply directly on district websites.

Contact McKenna Golat at mgolat@gannett.com or (810) 292-0122.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Schools in St Clair, Sanilac discuss transportation issues