Bus driver shortage will mean late students

MAT-SU — With a significant bus driver deficit, some Mat-Su students are going to be late for school.

At least for the first week.

First Student location manager David Dickerson said the company’s shortage of bus drivers this year will be greater than usual for the first week of school, for a couple different reasons. One is that some of the company’s regular drivers drive for other companies during the tourist season.

“Every year we seem to be starting school a little earlier, and people with summer jobs are still working,” said Dickerson, whose company operates school buses in the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Other First Student drivers have taken jobs on the North Slope, which may not end until late fall, he said.

“I think the economy is one thing,” Dickerson said of the lack of drivers. “There’s lots of jobs out there.”

First Student’s target number of drivers is 179, he said. The company currently has about 160, though six more are in training and six more will begin training Monday, he said.

“It’s coming together,” Dickerson said.

In the mean time, some drivers will have to double up on routes, which happened last spring as well, when tourist season began, he said. It was doable then, but didn’t result in the amount of student tardiness expected this coming week.

Mat-Su Borough School District Assistant Superintendent Luke Fulp said Palmer Junior Middle School and Wasilla High School students will be the most affected by the shortage, with an approximate 30-minute delay. Other students on combined-route buses — which will have two numbers, one for each route — should experience no more than a 10 to 15 minute delay.

“The school district will work with each student and family that’s impacted and make sure that they’re not penalized in any way (for being late),” Fulp said. “It’s gonna be important that the students feel welcome and that they’re a part of the school day, especially on the first day of school.”

Teachers and school administrators at each of the Valley’s schools serviced by First Student will have rosters of all students assigned a seat on a combined-route bus, he said, so they’ll know who’s to be excused for tardiness, and who isn’t.

“They’ll see that bus arrive, they’ll see the students get off, and they’ll know who the students are,” Fulp said.

Affected families also have received letters from school district Transportation Supervisor Chris Remick regarding which buses will be late. Bus 8/62 to Palmer High and PJMS will be late on morning routes, bus 14/100 to Colony High and Colony Middle will be late on morning routes, bus 44/108 to Houston High and Houston Middle will be late in the morning, bus 61/63 to PJMS will be late on morning and afternoon routes, bus 54/113 will be late to PHS in the morning and PJMS in the afternoon and bus 71/107 will be late to WHS and WMS after dropping off Redington Jr./Sr. High students.

Though the combined-route buses should be temporary, he said, some families might choose to drive their children to school instead.

“A number of families will maybe think (the bus situation is) too much of an inconvenience and choose to just drive their kids on their own, if they have the means,” Fulp speculated.

As for daily lesson planning, at least for the first week of school, “teachers are just gonna have to do the best they can with the time they have available,” Fulp said.

So the sooner First Student gets bus drivers, the sooner students can begin arriving at school on time.

To inquire about available positions at First Student, call 357-6327.

Contact Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.