Drivers currently training to fill bus driver shortage

MAT-SU — Talkeetna Elementary and Shaw Elementary joined 15 other schools that are currently operating in the “yellow” medium risk level for COVID-19 among 47 Mat-Su Borough School District Schools. There are currently 30 schools without any mask requirement and no schools that are currently closed due to outbreaks of COVID-19.

There were 24 new cases among MSBSD staff and students reported as infectious while in school on Thursday, with 137 over the last week and 1,678 total this school year. On Thursday, Colony High School had four cases reported and Shaw Elementary had three. Over the last week, CHS leads the district with 18 cases reported. Palmer High School, Shaw and Tanaina Elementary all had nine cases and Meadow Lakes Elementary had eight cases. Houston Jr./Sr. High reported no cases on Thursday and just two over the last week, but leads the district with 108 cases total this school year.

“You can see that in the last three weeks we’ve had a steady taper down. You’ve heard me say before that our data leads the Borough’s data so while we started decreasing three weeks ago, the borough's cases just started decreasing last week. We still are much higher than we ever were last year,” said MSBSD Superintendent Dr. Randy Trani.

Academy Charter School, the MSBSD Administrative offices, American Charter School, Big Lake Elementary, Colony High, Dena’ina Elementary, Fronteras Spanish Immersion Charter, Goose Bay Elementary, Iditarod Elementary, Knik Elementary, Machetanz Elementary, Meadow Lakes Elementary, Redington, Shaw Elementary, Snowshoe Elementary, Talkeetna Elementary and Tanaina Elementary all require students and staff to wear masks at a medium alert level.

Of all student days this school year, 66.4 % have been without masks required in a low risk operational zone while 32.6 % have been in the medium risk category and 1 % have been in the red with schools closed. Currently, 63.8 % of all MSBSD schools do not have a mask requirement while 36.2 % are operating in the medium risk category with masks. Trani also said that the bus cancelations could be solved in the near future.

“There is hope,” said Trani. “We all understand this is horribly disruptive. First Student is very motivated to try to fix the problem,” said Trani.

Trani said that First Student is 12 drivers short of filling all the bus routes, while 10 drivers are currently partaking in three-week training courses. First Student has offered $3,000 signing bonuses to any bus driver who becomes trained and starts driving school buses, as well as a $3,000 referral bonus.