FAIRBORN, Ohio — Fairborn City Schools District is responding to outrage from parents who said their kids’ buses are often delayed and sometimes canceled due to bus driver shortages.
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News Center 7’s Trinity Corbett spoke to the school board about what’s being done to fix the issue.
Fairborn City Schools District said they’re well aware of the school bus driver shortages and they’re hoping that signs like this one can help them change that.
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“We have about six to eight drivers that are going through the process right now, so hopefully the issue of canceled or delayed routes will be addressed very quickly,” said Chad Lensman, Director of Fairborn City Schools District.
Lensman said the district is doing what they can, but hiring drivers takes time.
“If you don’t have your CDL, you’re looking at four to eight weeks just to become a driver,” Lensman said.
On top of that, Lensman told us 27 hours are required for classroom instruction and on-the-road training. The district currently has 33 drivers, but there are 38 routes that need drivers.
Even school employees from other departments come together to fill the gaps.
“And we don’t want to have to cancel a route; that’s why we have some of our supervisors that drive,” he said. “We have our mechanics that step up and drive.
He knows this is frustrating for parents, and they’re taking that seriously.
News Center 7 heard from parents who have to figure out how to get their kids to school when their route is cancelled, but Lensman said the kids will not be punished for that.
“That is not their fault that they weren’t able to get there that day,” he said. “But we need make sure they’re still receiving that instruction, receiving that support.”
He knows the district and parents have the same mission.
“We wanna make sure our kids are in our building, and that’s what we’re working for right now,” Lensman said.
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