Rural school districts find creative solutions to transportation challenges

As a years-long school bus driver shortage continues in Ohio and across the nation, rural districts are getting creative in finding ways to make sure children get to school. "The shortage is real," said Jeremy Herr, superintendent of McComb Local Schools. McComb has five full-time routes and five full-time drivers, along with a short list of substitutes. The district has encouraged employees to cross-train, so the custodial staff, for example, have commercial driver's licenses so they can substitute. "I'm going to get a CDL so I can sub," Herr said. "My secretary already has a CDL." About half of the district's 600 students ride the bus. But while there are fewer students than in a district like Findlay City Schools, they have farther to travel. The district is roughly 12 miles wide by 17 miles long. Together, McComb's five buses drive enough miles each day to add up to the distance to Atlanta, Georgia, Herr said. This figure includes regular morning and afternoon routes, but doesn't include sports or other special events, he said. It is primarily students who live outside the village of McComb who ride the bus, Herr said. However, the district is considering adding one bus stop in each of the four quadrants of the village, and is currently surveying parents to gauge interest. Herr said he and the transportation director believe they could achieve this with existing staff. Following the death of a Vanlue Local Schools bus driver about a year ago, the position had remained open on the district's list of open jobs, said superintendent Eric Valasek. Now, the district at last has a driver who is going through training to fill that position. With about 120 students in grades K-12, Vanlue encompasses about 40 square miles in the southeastern corner of Hancock County. "Obviously, it's a big responsibility," Valasek said of school bus driving. He said Ohio's requirements to become certified and licensed to transport students are very rigorous. People looking for driving jobs may find there are fewer "hoops" to jump through to become able to drive other vehicles, he said. Pay is also a factor in people seeking other driving jobs. Andy Hatton, superintendent of Findlay City Schools, told The Courier in November that entities in the private sector can offer higher salaries and year-round employment at jobs driving dump trucks, for example. "The increase in home deliveries from retail outlets is directly competing for individuals that desire a part-time job," states an Ohio Schools Boards Association webpage on the bus driver shortage. Riverdale Local Schools is currently short one full-time driver, and had to combine routes earlier in the school year, said Ryan Wright, director of operations. The district hopes to get back to its usual 10 routes in January. The district has 1,000 students across 143 square miles. Wright said the drivers are flexible. If a driver gets sick midday, the rest will work together to reorganize their routes so all the children that driver took to school in the morning can get home in the afternoon. He said they quickly team up and make a plan, with one driver offering to take children in a certain area while another driver may take another group of children. Earlier in the year, Riverdale held a "Drive the Bus Day" event so people interested in exploring the work could try it out. Wright said that recruitment event led to five people now in different stages of going through training for full-time or substitute positions. He said often people who are retired but would like a part-time job are attracted to this work. He has found drivers are devoted to the work and to "their kids," even buying items with their own money to decorate buses this time of year. "I'm really proud of our drivers…. It's harder and harder to find them, but when you do, you're finding a special person," he said.