

If we can’t provide transportation to school for children then we should not pay one dime for transportation for school board members, director, or administration….especially when we are still paying the salaries of TWO directors because our board insisted on buying our last one out of her contract without giving any reason. Their costs to operate have risen just like everyone else’s and to offer them anything less than what they already had is unthinkable. “Bus contractors are small businesses and operate for a profit. We hope they can make a decision before school starts and that bringing this to a bigger public spotlight will help get them to make a quicker decision.” Ashley Sands Alston: Our students and parents are going to get the brunt of this while the ones in charge get to take their time making a decision. Our children are still going to be marked absent/tardee while buses are not running.

Which you’re never sure is accurate or not. All my other info/updates have been through Facebook. Being told a week before school starts that buses are not guaranteed is irresponsible of all parties involved. This situation should have been resolved before now. Now he does not know if that is a possibility. He was hoping to send his previously homeschooled 12-year-old son back to the classroom. “It’s just a big mess,” said parent James Alford.Īlford is new to the Sweetwater area. Contractors, we all got up, and walked out and we decided at that time that we was not going to sign the contract as it stood.”Ĭurrently, the system is 30 buses short, Sweetwater has no bus routes at all, and no resolution seems to be in sight. “Fifteen minutes later they voted for the contract. One company is exposing the myths and bringing hope to transportation departments in the form of lower bus counts and reduced staff burnout. But there are myths related to the shortage, and they are making a difficult year even more challenging. “I had read a letter to them if you approve this contract, we will probably not sign this contract,” said Miller. The driver shortage is hurting school bus operations everywhere. BBC News Almost 1 in 10 bus driver positions are vacant in the UK, driving a drop in the number of services, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has said.
#TENNESSEE SCHOOL BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE DRIVERS#
With that money gone and local contractors refusing to return, bus drivers are now a scarcity. They took that money, moved it over to seat pay, raised the seat pay, but they took the $400 basically away from us.” We was receiving $400 per month of supplement per each bus that was on a route. “They took money we was already receiving. “What we’ve seen now is a crisis,” said bus contractor James Miles. ( WATE) - Residents in Monroe County are calling their current school bus situation a “crisis” as the county’s number of bus contractors and buses remains cut in half. Applications can also be made by clicking here.SWEETWATER, Tenn. at West Creek High School (1210 West Creek Coyote Trail). While being responsible for these students can sound overwhelming, Clark told NewsChannel 5 the experience, so far, has rewarded her two-fold.Īnyone interested in becoming a bus driver can get more information or apply at an upcoming job fair on Saturday, March 27. In Montgomery County, more than 20,000 students rely on school buses each day.

"It's relationship building when you drive the bus and take that time to talk to them." She says it gave her an extra opportunity to bond with her students. "Students thought it was special that their principal was driving the bus," Clark said. In January, she became certified and did her first official bus route last week. "They see me in the hallways and classroom but they couldn't believe I was behind the bus."Ĭlark started training in October to become a bus driver. "After the students stay in the hallway for awhile you realize gosh it's sad. (WTVF) - Principal Emily Clark of Norman Smith Elementary School in Clarksville has taken her dedication to her students to another level.Ĭlark noticed the bus driver shortage in Clarksville-Montgomery County schools only got worse during the pandemic so she decided to do something about it.
