Shortage of bus drivers has Reynoldsburg City Schools brainstorming for solutions
As Reynoldsburg City Schools continue to experience a bus driver shortage, district administrators continue to tweak short- and long-term plans to solve the problem.
Short-term approaches include establishing a “rotation schedule” that allows, as often as possible, parents and guardians to know which schools will shift to remote learning when driver shortages require it. Long-term solutions include streamlining the process to recruit and hire drivers, interim Superintendent Jocelyn Cosgrave said.
“I want (parents and guardians) to understand that we get (that) you are frustrated,” Cosgrave said.
The district transports about 8,100 students on 51 routes that are part of a four-tier system designed to accommodate different starting and dismissal times at various school buildings in the district between 7:20 a.m. and 4 p.m., according to Cosgrave.
The district has 48 full-time drivers and six full-time substitute drivers, Cosgrave said Oct. 19.
Because of long-term absences, the district begins each day with about 13 routes unfilled, she said.
Cosgrave acknowledged that other drivers often double and sometimes triple routes to cover them all.
The driver shortage is compounded by short-term absences of drivers who call in sick or have a day off, Cosgrave said.
Effective Oct. 19, Cosgrave said district officials made “the difficult decision” to change the daily schedule at the preschool to accommodatethe specific bus route tier that is most understaffed.
The new preschool time shifted about an hour later for morning and afternoon preschool, according to Stephanie Beougher, district communications director.
The new class time for morning preschool is 9:05 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.; the previous class time was 8:05 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.
The new class time for afternoon preschool is 1 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.; the previous class time was 11:45 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.
The change allows more elementary-school students to be bused and reduces the frequency of remote learning days, Cosgrave said.
Meanwhile, officials want to streamline the hiring process to fill the ranks of drivers but advised parents and guardians that the district must follow the Ohio Revised Code and other laws when it comes to employing drivers.
Administratorsare meeting with the Reynoldsburg School Support Association and the district transportation department to “brainstorm solutions,” Cosgrave said.
Collaboration with bus drivers and the union has already begun and is ongoing, Beougher said.
"There have (already) been several meetings with bus drivers and the union (as) we actively explore ideas on how to make sure we are operating at full capacity.
The driver shortage is not unique to Reynoldsburg.
“There is a nationwide bus driver shortage which has forced Reynoldsburg to occasionally operate an altered bus schedule,” Assistant Superintendent Naim Sanders said.
In an effort to cover the shortage, Reynoldsburg is offering benefits not offered by all other employers seeking drivers in the transportation and trucking industry, according to Sanders.
“Reynoldsburg City Schools is a little unique in that we offer full benefits to all our drivers. There is a significant difference district to district throughout the region, state and nation,” Sanders said.
The school district also pays for training and most of the testing required for a commercial driver’s license, according to Sanders.
Interested applicants can call the Reynoldsburg City Schools transportation department at 614-501-1041.
Other vacancies
In addition to hiring drivers, the district also needs to fill administrative positions in its transportation department.
Theresa Ritchie, director of transportation for the district, and Diana Colliver, assistant supervisor of transportation, each resigned Oct. 16.
The Reynoldsburg Board of Education formally accepted the resignations at their Oct. 18 meeting.
The board also accepted the resignation of Michelle Nelson, administrative assistant to the director of transportation, effective Oct. 26.
All three have accepted employment at the Groveport-Madison Local School District, according to Debbie Dunlap, Reynoldsburg Board of Education president.
The resignations are not related to the transportation issues, Dunlap said Oct. 19.
“They had an offer that we tried to counter … but in the end, they went to Groveport. We are sorry to see them go,” she said.
Cosgrave said the three were “valued members of our transportation family and will be greatly missed. We appreciate their service to our students and parents and wish them the best in their new positions.”
Their duties will be handled by current personnel until the posts are filled, Cosgrae said.
“We are also exploring options for substitutes and consultants,” she said.
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Shortage of bus drivers has Reynoldsburg brainstorming for solutions
