BURLINGTON, Ky. — Like many districts around the U.S., Boone County Schools faces a shortage of bus drivers heading into next school year.
A job interview is one thing, but getting behind the wheel of a school bus gave applicant Glen Comstock a better idea of whether the job was for him.
“This is something I thought I’d like to do to supplement my income,” Comstock said. “My wife is a schoolteacher. She’s been prodding me to do this for a while.”
That’s something the Boone County Schools Transportation department loves to hear. The district’s all-out hiring blitz aims to get people in, interviews and test drives done and on their way to obtaining a commercial driving license, all in one day.
After that, they go into weeks of free training so they can start driving children to and from school in August.
Full-time employment is 25 hours weekly, split into morning and afternoon shifts. The district is also now offering part-time jobs.
“We’re not looking for people to come in who want to change the world, but you can do that here," said Jessica Meier, assistant director of transportation. "You can absolutely make a difference in a child’s life."
"(The COVID-19 pandemic) is what wiped us out. We have an aging population that is retiring out, and we don’t seem to have much of an interest for people being bus drivers. I think it’s just because they don’t realize we need them.”
Meier said the district needs 10 to 15 drivers and aids just to prevent current drivers from taking on double routes. But there are about 50 openings in total.
Helen Cottongim applied to be a bus driver 52 years ago, and she’s still at it. The 78-year-old is the county's the longest-tenured driver.
“I’ve always had a passion for driving and for the school bus," Cottongim said. "It’s just something that I kind of think (is) in my blood. We’re the first people that see children in the morning, and we’re the last people that see them in the afternoon. And drivers have the opportunity to set the day for children.”
Cottongim is now the safety and training coordinator and runs the driver training program.
“We've got drivers that are doing not only doubles; they’re doing triples, which causes children to have to wait longer,” she said. “And our people get stressed out. There’s a lot of stress when you know you have that many routes to cover.”
Even administrative staff have to fill in driving school buses.
“And when that happens, then their duties and their job falls behind,” Cottongim said.
She said being a bus driver is not for everyone but thinks anyone in need of supplemental income should give it a shot.
The school district’s hiring blitz will continue next week June 11 at North Pointe Elementary School, June 12 at Shirley Mann Elementary School and June 13 at Stephens Elementary School.
