Minnesota School districts have been struggling to hire and retain bus drivers for years. The COVID-19 pandemic made things worse, and many district leaders say a bus driver shortage is still causing disruptions. 

December was especially difficult. The South Washington County school district had to cancel several routes for the first time this school year following a surge in influenza and other illnesses. 

“Hiring has been a struggle.” said South Washington County communications director Shawn Hogendorf. “It’s not getting easier.” 

“There's medical issues, there's illness, there's, you know, absenteeism,” Hogendorf said. “It's an aging workforce, right? And historically for us a lot of times, retirees have been a lot of our drivers.”

To keep things rolling, the district’s mechanics and managers have consistently stepped in to drive buses, he added. Parents have also jumped into the applicant pool to drive buses. 

District leaders prioritized elementary schools when drivers called in sick. And they try to spread out cancellations so no one group of students bore the brunt of scrambling for alternative routes to school in the morning. 

The worries are consistent across the state.

In central Minnesota, leaders at Little Falls Community Schools haven’t been able to hire a full team of drivers since the pandemic began in 2020.

“We've increased pay and created flexible scheduling options, but no dice,” said Chris Lindholm, superintendent of the Cook County schools in Minnesota’s Arrowhead region.

“It's more than drivers, however,” he told MPR News. “It's really about hourly employees and the affordability of living in Cook County.  We currently have driver, paraprofessional, custodial and food service positions posted.”

In the Twin Cities suburbs, driver shortages in Wayzata have forced the district to double up afternoon routes with students experiencing regular delays.

The Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan district recently told families it’s had to cancel or delay about five percent of its bus routes each day. The district is trying to hire more drivers but is also considering reducing services, a spokesperson said. 

In Bloomington, district officials have consolidated routes and are considering a change in school start times and an increase to student walk zones to cope with the shortage.

Bus staffing issues are causing real challenges for families in the district, said Rick Kaufman, executive director of the Bloomington district’s emergency management operations. 

The district has been forced to rely on an outside contractor for bussing, but Kaufman worries about safety issues. 

“As a school safety professional I can't underscore the importance of driver–student relationships, which are critical to safety, behavior management, and communication with families,” Kaufman said, adding that the district was making changes to reduce its reliance on outside contractors.

Collected from Minnesota Public Radio News. View original source here.