Anson schools seeing shortage of bus drivers

WADESBORO — Anson County Schools is seeing about twice as many open positions for bus drivers than the school system typically has, a trend that is common with schools across the country.

For example, Richmond County Schools (RCS) currently has about 65 bus drivers, which is about 35 fewer drivers than the school system had prior to the pandemic.

Corey Ross, transportation administrator for ACS, said COVID forcing schools to operate virtually is the biggest contributing factor. Drivers have taken other jobs either to get more hours or to decided not to return because of health concerns.

On a typical school day, bus drivers were transporting about 2,100 kids in Anson County. Now, it’s about 50% of that, according to Ross. As more kids return to in-person, they will still be required to adhere to certain COVID-19 guidelines such as keeping one child on a seat at a time, unless they live in the same household. They still must wear a mask, and a few windows will be left down to provide more ventilation.

Now, Ross’s focus is on rebuilding his staff, through training classes. It takes about a month to get the proper license, which includes a 3-day class, a 14-day permit waiting period. He said the process of getting the certification is “very stringent” and is difficult for some.

Ross offered a class in early February which had 10 people signed up for it, but only two showed up. Luckily, both passed, and 10 more are on the waiting list. In a normal year, if he can train three or four new drivers he can maintain a comfortable level with his staff. The shortages have made completing routes a much less stable operation.

“Right now we just don’t have that backlog of people that are available and that’s what we want to create,” Ross said.

If you’re interested in signing up for a bus driver class, call Ross at 704-694-2925.

Debbie Blake, RCS transportation director, said running routes with this shortage has been stressful at times, but that the bus drivers have stepped up and provided a lot of flexibility. She started her job a week before the pandemic.

“As far as bus drivers, we’ve had a lot that have gone out,” Blake said. “Now, with the vaccine, we’re hoping that some of them will come back.”

Dennis Quick, Associate Superintendent of Auxiliary Services for RCS, estimated that about half have left because of COVID-19 or the fear of it.

Fifteen individuals have signed up for RCS’s bus driver training class set for Monday, Feb. 22.

In order to bolster attract new applicants, a school bus has been parked in the Rockingham Walmart’s parking lot with a sign inviting the public to apply. Blake said that many drivers have expressed that they’re more comfortable returning to their job as the peak of COVID-19 appears to be behind us.

While they’ve experienced the difficulties of being short-staffed and virtual learning lessening the need for bus drivers to transport children, the remaining drivers have stayed busy by delivering food throughout the pandemic. Dr. Julian Carter, assistant superintendent of human resources for RCS, said that some drivers were driving more than ever by just delivering breakfast, lunch and dinner to drop-off areas.

“It was a very concerted effort on the part of the (Superintendent Jeff Maples) from day one of the pandemic that everyone who wants to work can work,” Quick said. “We did everything possible to make that happen.”

Johnny Stanback, a bus driver for eight years, said that he normally had 40 kids on the bus prior to the pandemic. Now, it’s about six or seven. In addition to the food delivery, he’s been tasked a few times with making sure that the correct homework goes home with the right student.

“There was a lot of responsibility put on our bus drivers to do this and they have really stepped up and made this work,” Quick said. “We’re really appreciative of them.”

Blake said that every bus driver is involved with food delivery, and that they really rely on the drivers to get to know students. Additionally, bus drivers have stepped up to disinfect the buses after each route. The food delivery routes and the student drop-off routes are often separated so they don’t have to clean multiple times.

The bus driver position is part-time and many employees have second jobs. Carter said that many people in the community who have hired the bus drivers know their schedule and how it’s imperative for kids to get home safely and on time.

“It’s a tremendous organization to get all of these buses moved each morning,” Carter said.

Carter called them the unsung heroes of this pandemic.

“It’s a seemingly thankless job,” Carter said. “Everything we’ve done so far in this pandemic, (we ask) will the buses accommodate everything?”

A new resource for parents in Richmond County is the Here Comes the Bus app. It’s a GPS tracking app that can help identify exactly when children or food deliveries will arrive. It was launched in September, but hasn’t been used as frequently as expected due to the pandemic.

Individuals interested in applying to become a bus driver in Richmond County can get more information at 910-997-9841.

Blake said that many of the younger students are excited to be back at school.

“If you ever see a kindergartener walk up and get on a bus — it just warms your heart,” Blake said. “They’re so excited to get on that bus. That’s a reward you cannot deny.”