TAMPA, Fla. — As school breaks for summer in Hillsborough County, there is excitement for students, but for some district employees, there are mixed emotions.

“The traffic I won’t miss, but I’ll definitely miss my coworkers,” veteran bus driver Connie Hollash said. "I’ve enjoyed the people I work with; they are wonderful people. The students, I would say 98% of them I will miss.”

Hollash is talking about those problem students every bus driver deals with throughout the school year.

And Hollash knows that best, driving a bus for Hillsborough County for 34 years.

Next October, she may be forced to retire because of Florida’s Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) for bus drivers.

When a driver announces his or her intentions to retire, the clock starts ticking on a five-year DROP plan. When a school bus driver decides to retire, he or she must enroll in the DROP program and choose a termination date for the five-year plan. When the time runs out, the bus driver cannot decide to work longer. 

A bill awaiting signature by Gov. Ron DeSantis could change that. Senate Bill 1670 would extend the state’s DROP timeline from five to eight years, which means drivers like Hollash could work a little longer.

“If they do that, I am definitely staying, I am not going anywhere,” Hollash said. “I will miss my workers and my students.  I’ll miss everybody too much to want to leave, and I love my job.  I really love my job.”

The bill could be good news for school districts that have struggled to retain bus drivers and hire new ones since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Extending the amount of time a retiring bus driver can work could soften the impacts of shortages statewide.

In Hillsborough County, the district expects to be short 277 drivers when classes start back in the fall.

Work will be ongoing over the summer to recruit new bus drivers.

Go here for more information on driving a bus for Hillsborough County Schools.