Is Bloomington's Bus Driver Shortage Part Of A Bigger Story?
Kyle Stokes / StateImpact Indiana
A school bus driver in Fortville.
This story from our partners at Indiana Public Media in Bloomington caught our attention. As the Monroe County Community School Corporation’s school year has started, the district has found itself in desperate need of bus drivers. Bari Finkel reports:
School administrators count on losing around five drivers each summer. Most leave because they have found better-paying full-time jobs.
But this summer MCCSC also saw an unusually high number of bus drivers retire. All told, the district has lost 39 drivers – or about 30 percent of its workforce — since May 2012.
Indiana State School Bus Association President Ron Chew says a shortage of that size can amount to a crisis.
“That means that school system’s in a world of hurt,” he says. ”They have to scramble to get people to run those routes on a daily basis.”Related
Posts
- The Seven Indiana School Corporations Making An Election Day Tax Appeal
- Indiana School Districts Still Feeling The Pain Of Property Tax Caps
- Voters Rally To Save Hamilton School, But Other Referendums Fail At The Ballot Box
- Why Some Worry Property Tax Caps Will Lead To ‘Inequities’ In School Funding
- ‘The Pain Is Not Over’ For Indiana District Hit By Tax Caps & Busing Controversy
- Could Franklin Township Have Prevented Deep Busing Cuts?
- Property Tax Caps Put Basic School Services On Chopping Block
Hey, Bloomington readers! Can you tell us what’s going on here?
Could it have something to do with this Times of Northwest Indiana story from April?
Indiana school districts may soon face a shortage of bus drivers because of new licensing rules…
The type of license needed to drive a school bus has changed over the last 10 years, said Al Gandolfi, Lake Central School Corp. assistant superintendent.
All bus drivers must now hold an Indiana commercial driver’s license, the same type required for truck drivers, he said.
School routes probably will not be as hard hit as will extracurricular activities and field trips by the shortage of drivers, Gandolfi said. That includes sports away games and academic events that Lake Central students participate in, he said.
“The writing is on the wall,” Gandolfi said.
