Henrico Schools facing growing bus driver shortage

The Henrico County Public Schools district is facing its largest school bus driver shortage in more than a decade.

After schools shut down last March, many part-time drivers, who are not under contract, left their school district jobs.

“We certainly did our best to give them an opportunity to work so that they can still get a check, but many of them had to find something else,” said Jim Ellis, HCPS transportation director. “So we lost a lot of our support staff.”

Last April, the district instated a hiring freeze, and it was difficult to bring anyone on board during the height of the pandemic because training to be a school bus driver is an extensive in-person process.

HCPS is looking at 85 full-time positions that need to be filled.

It’s not a unique problem. School districts across the nation have long grappled with finding bus drivers, and the pandemic has only exacerbated the issue as former school bus drivers found other jobs when the pandemic hit and schools shuttered.

Before the onset of COVID-19, HCPS usually had about 50 vacancies for bus drivers.

With tight staffing, that means bus drivers occasionally have to double up on a route, taking one load of students after another. This can delay students from getting to school on time or keep children at school longer.

Bus drivers, along with other school system employees, recently received a two-step pay increase. Drivers with no prior experience start at $14.91 an hour, and those who already have a commercial driver’s license can start at a higher rate.

Full-time drivers run a morning route and an afternoon route, equaling about six hours a day.

“A lot of drivers like the flexibility,” Ellis said. “If you drive in the morning, you're off from around 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 or 1 p.m. depending on what tier of driving that you do.”

Many of the district’s bus drivers are mothers of young children, according to Ellis. Drivers can bring up to two children under 5 years old with them on their routes, and buses are equipped with special seats behind the driver for young children, which makes it an attractive option for many.

“You don’t have to worry about child care expenses,” Ellis said. “You're able to do that, go home and take care of your kids, then come back and do a little tour around town again.”

Another benefit is the set schedule and summer and holiday vacations.

In May, the district received 40 new school buses with air conditioning. In December, 49 more should arrive, which will make about one-fifth of the district’s fleet of buses equipped with air conditioning. (All buses have heat.)

The district has been using every platform it has to spread the word about the job opportunities in hopes of filling the 85 vacancies.

HCPS is hosting two job fairs this month to recruit drivers and other support staff.

On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., HCPS will interview candidates for bus drivers and school nutrition services staff at the Tuckahoe Area Library at 1901 Starling Drive. Another job fair will be held June 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Libbie Mill Library at 2100 Libbie Lake East Street.

To apply in advance online, visit  https://henricoschools.us/careers/.

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Anna Bryson is the Henrico Citizen's education reporter and a Report for America corps member. Make a tax-deductible donation to support her work, and RFA will match it dollar for dollar.