WNBC-TV News 4 New York
Live Report: Greg Cergol
Bay Shore, Long Island

The school year is just around the corner – and school bus companies say they’re having trouble hiring drivers. Greg Cergol reports.

Frank Klein with Suffolk Transportation Service stated job applications are down over 60%. The impact could be unsettling for parents with long wait times at bus stops, possible cancellations of routes, and parents may be required to bring kids to school in certain areas.

Click here to view the live report.

Times Union Article
Written By: Rachel Silberstein

New York schools are struggling to hire bus drivers and other non-instructional staff as they prepare to reopen at full capacity in early September.

More than 40 percent of school districts anticipate a transportation staffing gap between 15 percent and 20 percent, according to a statewide survey conducted in June and July by the New York School Bus Contractors Association.

While drivers are often in high demand, "COVID didn't help the situation," said Tammy Mortier, the association's executive director. "Many of the drivers are not returning, whether it's due to health issues or concerns or vaccination hesitancy. Many drivers fall into the high-risk category."

Enhanced federal unemployment benefits and the child tax credit are compounding the problem, she said. Candidates are still applying to be drivers, but some of those potential candidates are applying as a means to provide supporting documentation for unemployment benefits.

"When unemployment runs out in September, we hope to see some of them coming back, but we need to put the schedules in place now," Mortier said.

The School Bus Contractors Association, which works with 300 New York school districts, is helping its members to find drivers by supporting their recruitment efforts and helping in communication with state agencies to get new drivers licensed and certified to take the wheel. It can take up to 12 weeks for a new candidate to be able to drive a bus.

Schools are actively recruiting drivers through increased advertising, open houses and hiring events, and by raising wages and sign-on bonuses.

The Bethlehem school district is going into the new school year with 20 fewer drivers than it had pre-COVID and has launched a series of aggressive in-person and online recruitment campaigns.

"We hope people know that while you need to have a clean driver's license, you don't need experience or a CDL ... that training comes from professional trainers we have on staff,"  Bethlehem spokeswoman Jo Ellen Gardner said in a statement. "As our Director of Transportation Karim Johnson likes to say, 'Our most successful driver candidates have never driven anything larger than a Toyota Camry.'" 

Driver salaries at Bethlehem are starting at $19.47/hour for substitute drivers; $19.67/hour for regular drivers plus benefits.

To make it work, school districts are working with the drivers they currently have on flexible pickup and drop-off times and adjusted sporting schedules. Delaying sports will allow drivers time to return from their usual routes to pick up students from practice.

Districts have many new roles to fill to address educational gaps and social-emotional needs exacerbated by the health crisis, but the shortages seem largely relegated to non-instructional positions, which would not prevent schools from reopening at full capacity this fall. 

In South Colonie schools, the demand for hall monitors, food service help, clerical work, and custodial workers does not seem to match the supply, spokeswoman Kara Granato said.

"All these positions play a critical role in the experience our children have on our buses and in our schools.  They are essential to our organization and we need them to function efficiently," she said.

East Greenbush and Mohonasen public schools are short on teaching assistants, school officials said. The Ballston Spa district is seeking cafeteria workers. 

Click here to view the article online.

The NYC vaccine mandate for the Department of Education teachers and staff does NOT apply to bus drivers, at this time.

Gotham Government Relations Update
Nicole Epstein, Esq., Senior Associate

According to Mayor Bill de Blasio, who spoke about the mandate in a press conference on Staten Island on Monday, the City’s new mandate will impact about 1480,000 DOE employees, including teachers, principals, kitchen workers, and custodians. According to a department spokesperson, the policy does not apply to DOE contracted employees like bus drivers and educators and staff working in 3-ks and preschools not located in DOE buildings. Employees at 3k and preschools not located in DOE buildings are still subject to the mayor’s vaccination or test policy.

Kevin Moran, Chief School Operations Officer at the New York City Department of Education, clarified that today’s City Hall announcement was specific to all NYCDOE staff and NYCDOE contractors working in school-based settings. At the current moment, this DOES NOT include school bus drivers, aides, etc. However, there is currently an ACTIVE conversation about including bus drivers in the future, especially for the Type A and Type B buses serving special education schools that tend to have longer routes and more difficulty having the children wear masks, etc.

In sum, as of today, there is no mandate for school bus drivers. However, this might change in the near future.

AMNY Article

NYTimes Article

Politico: No school guidance from state DOH this fall, superintendents told

The Cuomo administration has advised superintendents that neither the governor's office nor the state health department will be issuing guidance for schools reopening this fall, according to a group representing superintendents. . . . . . . . click here

Click on the link below to download the Guidelines.

• Newly Released (May 6th) Guidelines for the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) Grant Program
  

Education Law Changes in the 2021-22 Enacted State Budget Governing Eligibility of Certain COVID Transportation Expenditures for State Transportation Aid

This page includes several resources in a box to the right to include the:  e-Learning Training Providers Guide to ELDT, factsheet, countdown checklist, curricula summary, training overview and a March 4 webinar for training providers. Click Here