There's a shortage of school bus drivers in South Dakota. Here's how districts are coping

As school districts around the state continue to grapple with staffing issues, they’re also trying to find ways to simply get students to school.

A bus driver shortage was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued into the new school year.

Doyle Foreman, president of Foreman Bus Sales & Service in Miller, thinks new commercial driver’s license requirements might have made the issue even worse.

New commercial driver's license requirements mean fewer drivers

A new federal requirement, which was implemented in February, now requires CDL applicants to complete an entry-level driver training course prior to application. It’s also expensive to get a CDL without having a company pay for it, often costing between $3,000 and $4,000 and taking about two months to complete. On top of that, school bus drivers must get a passenger endorsement and a school bus endorsement.

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In other words, it's not nearly as simple as just calling up a school superintendent and offering to help.

While Foreman said the bus driver shortage issue preceded the new federal CDL guidelines, it’s gotten harder to find employees during the past several years.

Foreman has contracts with school districts all around the region, including Aberdeen, Ipswich, Highmore and others. That means it's important to find drivers from different geographic areas, he said, since it costs more to send a driver to another town or school district.

Foreman has found himself pitching in to drive whenever he can. Additionally, many of the company’s mechanics can drive when necessary. It’s difficult to find people who only want a part-time job, he said.

Sign-on, referral bonuses offered to attract new bus drivers

Foreman said he’s tried to combat this problem by offering sign-on bonuses, as well as referral bonuses. The business has also done local advertising, having ads on the radio, in the newspaper and on social media. Foreman has even set booths up at local basketball and football games, hoping the right person inquires about a job.

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Kevin Kunz, superintendent at Edmunds Central School District based in Roscoe, said the district owns its own buses and hires all of its own bus drivers. He's been able to skirt the driver shortage issue by not having any employees who are only bus drivers. Instead, those behind the wheel of buses are also teachers or custodians.

For some school districts, minivans, transit vans are the answer

There are currently four people who can drive within the district, said Kunz. While only one person has the qualifications to drive a school bus, the remaining drivers can operate a minivan or larger transit van, he said. Edmunds Central has two bus routes that run in both the morning and afternoon.

Edmunds Central has a co-op for sports with Bowdle and Eureka, making it difficult for teachers to leave in the middle of the day to transport students to sporting events, Kunz said.

Watertown looking for substitute bus drivers

Jeff Danielsen, superintendent of the Watertown School District, said the district is always looking for more substitute bus drivers. Substitute drivers can take students to activities such as sporting events.

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But so far, Danielsen the school district has had enough bus drivers. About three years ago, bus drivers employed by the school district became eligible for benefits such as health insurance. That was a result of the district not having enough bus drivers, but Danielsen said the numbers have improved since that was implemented. Once people have a positive experience with an employer, more people will be attracted to the job, he said.

School staff helps drive in Doland district

Garrett Schmidt, superintendent of Doland School District, said some staff members drive students to sporting events every day. While Doland currently has two large school buses, only one of them is currently in use. That's because only one of the district's four drivers has the proper qualifications to drive the bus, and that driver is not available to drive in the afternoons.

But the school district has three vehicles that can be driven by staff members who don't have qualifications to drive a school bus. One of the vehicles is a Chevrolet Suburban, while the other two are minibuses.

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Schmidt said he's even considering getting a CDL, but the process takes months and, as superintendent of the school district, doesn't have much free time. Three staff members drive for the district, although Schmidt said Doland is always looking for more drivers who have CDLs.

The school district has found a way to make do in spite of the shortage, Schmidt said, and is fortunate to have staff members who have stepped up.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: South Dakota school districts don't have enough bus drivers