Bus driver shortage cited as the reason
Justin Murphy – Rochester Democrat and Chronicle USA TODAY NETWORK – in the D&C on 9/5/21 on page A4
The Rochester City School District announced Friday a plan for students in grades 9-12 to start the year remotely because of a shortage of bus drivers, bringing tears and howls of frustration from students and parents at an emotional emergency school board meeting.
The district is short 78 bus drivers with no available substitutes, with more resignations coming in each day. It has already adjusted school start times and asked parents to opt out of busing voluntarily, but neither idea served to solve the problem, which exists across the country.
Under the proposed plan, the period of remote learning would only be temporary until the district can hire more drivers, Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small said, though it’s far from clear how long that might take. Districts across the country have offered significant cash incentives for new drivers, or even for parents to bring their children to school themselves.