CMS: Bus Drivers Wanted
CHARLOTTE, NC — Expanding the magnet school program means CMS will have to beef up its bus service.
CMS buses already drive 117,000 miles every day, covering 168 schools. And the district continues to battle a serious driver shortage after adding neighborhood pickup for current magnet students this year.
“We’ll keep having bus class every month,” says Janet Thomas, CMS Executive Director of Transportation. “And we have doubled up our recruitment efforts.”
CMS is still in desperate need of bus drivers.
November rolls in with the district still looking to fill more than 70 positions. Janet Thomas has been with CMS transportation for 28 years, and says this is not the norm.
“It is not usual,” says Thomas. “Typically we can overcome it, and get enough. You know we did add buses this year, which added to the challenge. But as we start getting closer to achieving, folks leave.”
When the economy is good, CMS has a harder time finding drivers.
The training process takes longer now. The background checks and requirements are rigorous. CDL permits are in high demand. And it’s tough to pay a competitive wage.
“Really I wouldn’t think it would be that bad,” says Matthews resident, and CMS parent, Jeremy Surratt. “I would think working for the school district would have some benefits to it. Apparently not. So I just don’t know. We’re kind of bewildered. We don’t know.”
One of the problems CMS has is that they have enough bus drivers in the morning, but it’s those afternoon runs where they are short.
“In the morning we have substitutes, and we have part-time people that are available in the morning due to their schedule with their other jobs,” says Thomas. “We don’t have that flexibility in the afternoon.”
That driver shortage in the afternoon means some buses are having to run double routes for about 20 schools. Surratt has two kids at Crestdale Middle School in Matthews, and says the late drop-offs put stress on the entire family.
“One bus is taking, essentially, two buses routes,” says Surratt. “So we’re seeing kids get home at 5:15, 5:30, which is about an hour off the norm.”
CMS pays bus drivers a starting salary of $12.14 an hour. You can get more information about the requirements and apply to drive a bus for the district here:
http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/cmsdepartments/transportation/Pages/EmploymentOpportunities.aspx
