WARREN COUNTY — An Ohio school district is looking to fill bus driver positions amid parents’ concerns.
Little Miami Schools is facing a bus driver shortage, leaving parents waiting in long pickup lines and wondering whether their child’s bus will arrive, according to our news partner, WCPO.
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In the past month, Little Miami Schools reported 20 bus cancellations due to driver shortages.
Roughly 5,700 students in the district qualify for transportation, but the number of students who rely on buses daily varies.
Many parents spoke with our news partner, WCPO, about their concerns about the bus shortage.
Parents said they typically receive notification the night before or in the morning if their child’s bus route has been canceled.
“You wait in the evening to get the email. Are you going to be the lottery system today? Are you gonna be the one that has to try to get your kids to school tomorrow?” said Amy Ryan, a parent in the district.
Ryan said that her family has dealt with cancellations a handful of times, but other families have experienced it more often.
“It’s hectic, you know, luckily my kids only happened a handful of times, but other parents, it happens like every other week,” Ryan said.
Parents have had to call off work to get their kids to and from school, while others scramble to make last-minute arrangements
“What do you do? It’s either that or you keep your kid home from school, which I wouldn’t wanna do. I mean, education is important,” Ryan said.
A local babysitter said that she has experienced the effect too.
“It’s a huge headache because (parents are) supposed to be at work, then you have to find transportation for their kids, or the street gets together and carpools, and that’s not convenient,” said Rose Janis.
Janis said the district needs to find a lasting solution.
“They need to fix the problem. Find someone who can do these routes, right?” said Janis.
School leaders say the challenge is not unique to Little Miami Schools. Districts across the country are struggling to recruit and retain transportation staff.
Little Miami Schools is working to address the shortage and recently held a job fair for these and other positions.
Those who are interested in becoming a bus driver with Little Miami Schools can view openings and apply here.
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