fairfax county school bus driver shortage

#Fairfax county school bus driver shortage drivers#
#Fairfax county school bus driver shortage driver#
#Fairfax county school bus driver shortage download#

In recent weeks, districts like New Haven, Connecticut, have dangled cash through signing bonuses of up to $5,000.

#Fairfax county school bus driver shortage drivers#

On pay, in the hopes of attracting new drivers and retaining existing employees, numerous districts have introduced a range of hiring and retention incentives with bonuses and enticements previously considered off limits in public education, where uniform pay tied to length of service has been standard practice. Perhaps most impressive are those completely rethinking how they provide transportation. A few districts have come up with creative (if temporary) workforce solutions.

#Fairfax county school bus driver shortage driver#

We’ve seen impressive shifts to re-envision compensation packages and even rethink working conditions to fill driver positions. Shelby County in Kentucky will provide part-time workers like bus drivers with full-time benefits.īut, it turns out that a surprising number of districts are pivoting in more significant ways, and doing so with warp speed. In a move late last month, Fairfax County in Virginia raised its hourly pay for new hires by 17 percent.

Then there are districts doing more of the usual stuff, for example by offering across-the-board raises and more benefits to attract drivers. In Anchorage, school is on, but the normal bus routes have been suspended through October with no substitute in place. Districts in Pittsburgh and Rochester, New York, were unable to find a solution and delayed the start of their school years. How districts react to these unusual labor challenges may be telling us something important: Whether they can adapt to meet the moment and which, if any, will consider adopting innovations that are common in other industries outside of education.Īt one end of the scale, a handful of districts have struggled to solve their transportation problems. Getting students to school is critical: Children can’t learn while waiting for the bus. Newspaper headlines have blared stories of unfilled bus driver positions, delays in school start dates, canceled bus routes and hours-long waits for kids. Fueled by pandemic fears, strained labor markets and vaccine requirements, widespread shortages of bus drivers have left many districts scrambling to find a way to get kids to school as classes started up again. But there’s an old saying that necessity is the mother of invention, and COVID-19 may indeed be pushing some districts to adopt strategies they had long ignored.Īn interesting set of case examples is surfacing as districts race to handle transportation issues this fall.

#Fairfax county school bus driver shortage download#

Please find out more about bus routes on our website and download the Here Comes the Bus mobile app.Public schools are not known for being particularly innovative. Your patience and understanding as we make adjustments is appreciated.

Cardinal Forest Elementary School will keep you informed of changes as soon as information is available. A national bus driver shortage is impacting FCPS, and some routes may be longer or occasionally delayed as we work through the situation. BusesĪs we prepare for children to come to school and go home on buses this fall, we ask you to be aware of possible adjustments to routes and schedules. Your child’s booster seat should be on the passenger side of the car, if possible, so that Cardinal Forest staff can help your child exit your vehicleĪt no time is it ever safe to park in the parking lot and walk your child through the parking lot traffic, or through the bus loop! Children follow the example of adults, and other children may see you doing this. Kiss & Ride is located on the left side of Cardinal Forest ES when you are facing the building. The front loop of Cardinal Forest ES is for buses only. If you are driving your child to/from Cardinal Forest, you must use the Kiss and Ride loop for everyone’s safety