Schools
Bus Driver Shortage Impacts Two Routes At Westfield Public Schools
The district's Business Administrator said substitute drivers are causing daily issues because they are unfamiliar with the routes.
WESTFIELD, NJ — Well into the first month of school, Westfield Public Schools is facing a bus driver shortage.
"It's been no secret that there is a national bus driver shortage," Business Administrator Dana Sullivan said at the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday night. "It is impacting us, as well as every other district in the state and the country."
Related: Bus Driver Shortage Impacts School Schedule In East Brunswick
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This lack of bus drivers, which was especially an issue during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, has persisted in New Jersey and across the nation. Other New Jersey school districts say they are scrambling to find school bus drivers, offering up to $35 plus perks to try to fill routes as the 2022-2023 school year begins, according to NJ.com.
Sullivan said Durham School Services, the company the district uses to contract bus drivers, is currently unable to provide two bus drivers.
Find out what's happening in Westfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In the meantime, Sullivan said the district is using substitute drivers, but there are continued issues with them because they are not familiar with the routes.
"Some parents are asking if we can default the contractor," Sullivan said. "I can default the contractor but then we will have no buses at all. Nobody has drivers, so that continues to be the problem."
Sullivan explained that there is a long process for new drivers to receive their licenses, as they have to pass a test where they have to get under a bus and name all the mechanical parts. Durham is helping to train these new drivers, according to Sullivan.
On the positive side, Sullivan said Durham is supposed to test new drivers next week, as well as the following week.
“We are hopeful that things will improve, but it’s not for a lack of trying,” Sullivan said.
Westfield Schools has also face a shortage of crossing guards, which has been an ongoing issue for the past year.
Read more: Crossing Guard Posts To Be Reduced In Westfield For Coming School Year
You can watch the entire Board of Education meeting on YouTube.
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