VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Possible delays and longer bus routes are just a few issues students in Hampton Roads could face next school year.
Bus driver shortages are nothing new across the U.S., but school division officials in the 757 said the problem has never been worse.
Leaders from our largest divisions told us have more than 100 vacancies to fill, as soon as possible. School bus drivers play a big role in their students’ lives.
“We are the first people to see them in the morning, the last people to see them when they get off the bus,” said Virginia Beach school bus driver Sherwood Bernard.
It’s a rewarding job that runs in Bernard’s family.
“I am a third-generation bus driver,” Bernard said. “My grandmother drove here for 48 years. My aunt currently drives, she’s been here 34. I’ve been here eight.”
But right now, drivers like Bernard are in short supply.
“We are down a little bit over 100 drivers,” said VBCPS Transportation Director James Lash. “We expect between 25 and 40 drivers to either retire or leave employment with us this summer.”
Lash said their vacancies have almost tripled year over year.
“With COVID we have been able to make it because of the schedules, but when we get up and running, we will need additional drivers,” Lash said.
How do other school divisions across the 757 stack up?
Officials with Suffolk Public Schools said they have 10 driver vacancies, but no substitutes available.
Portsmouth needs 32 drivers and officials actually said that number is average for this time of year.
Hampton needs 40 to 45, Newport News is looking for 88 and Chesapeake is short 109 drivers. Officials with these three school divisions said their vacancies are much higher than usual.
“Because we have 109 vacant contract positions, we also have no substitute drivers,” said Chesapeake Public Schools Director of Transportation Dr. David Benson.
Chesapeake starts drivers at $14.82 an hour. Dr. Benson said that comes with full benefits.
“At the end of the week for 25 hours you are considered a full-time employee,” Dr. Benson said. “You receive full-time benefits. That is the same health and medical benefits that our superintendent gets.”
Virginia Beach is paying $15.29 an hour with benefits. Both divisions will train you. The only costs are DMV fees.
"We teach the CDL program to get the commercial driver’s license to drive a school bus,” said VBCPS Training Supervisor Chris Sprouse. “We actually do the DMV written testing here on-site.”
Sprouse said the training takes about six weeks in total.
“It takes about three weeks to get behind the wheel for your training program," Sprouse said. "It takes about six weeks total, from start to finish, until we recommend you to be hired and you get behind the wheel transporting kids.”
Lash and Benson said staff will have to get creative if spots remain empty. That means possible bus delays and a lot of route consolidation.
“It could mean that some busses have to double back to pick up students, or double back to take them home,” Lash said. “The capacity of the bus levels where we might have had 30 kids on the bus, we will probably be up high on the longer runs."
Bernard said the schedule is convenient, especially for parents.
“When you are contracted, you get to have summers off, you get to have spring break off and you are paid for those times,” Bernard said. “So, I get to have off whenever my kids are out of school.”
It’s a job he wouldn’t trade for the world.
“I have been in the Navy,” Bernard said. “I’ve done retail work. I’ve done a whole bunch of stuff like that, but this is the only job where I feel like I’ve done something really at the end of the day.”
Virginia Beach Public School officials are asking parents to let them know if their child needs transportation for next school year by July 5, so they can start planning.
If you want to get behind the wheel check out each school division’s website: