Lower district employment results in limited bus routes
Dripping Springs ISD parents and students have noticed one major change heading into the 2022–2023 school year: bus routes.
DSISD is one of many school districts across the state and country experiencing shortages in bus drivers. The problem was worsened by new federal regulations that went into effect earlier this year. These rules, known as Entry Level Driver Training, required would-be drivers to complete minimum federal training requirements before being permitted to take certain CDL tests, including those for school buses. The enactment of ELDT not only increased the amount of time required to train bus drivers, but it also increased the price — often by several thousands of dollars, depending on the school.
Due to the increased difficulty in finding drivers, some districts — including DSISD — had to shorten their bus routes just before the start of the new school year. This has left many district families outside of the coverage area, with neighborhood residents in Rim Rock, Heritage Oaks, Big Sky Ranch, Ledgestone, Belterra and more reporting a loss in coverage.
As emails about cutting bus routes began to roll in, parents took to social media to express their frustrations and concerns.
“The question is, if we can't make it to get our kids because my wife and I both work, is the district going to hold some liability if we ask our kids to walk home or ride their bikes?” asked Legacy Trails resident Juan Llerena. “Are more crosswalks going to be in place?
“This is my first year having kids in elementary and middle school,” said substitute teacher Marie Strang. “This makes subbing hard as I have to pick up and drop off kids instead.
DSISD is currently looking to fill 12 bus driver positions and four bus monitor positions, according to Blake Barrington, communications specialist for the district.
“There’s just not a quick solution to fill those positions right away,” he explained. “Even if we do find people, they still have to go through 4 to 6 weeks of training.”
The shortage of bus drivers, Barrington said, was carried over from last year and worsened as drivers resigned over the summer.
“Last year, we were short drivers,” he said. “Some were doing multiple waves, doing a lot of extra work, which was not a sustainable option. But we didn’t have that many openings last year, so it was somewhat doable.”
The district upped the pay for drivers this year in an effort to attract new candidates, increasing wages from $18.75 per hour to $21.50.
“That’s pretty high compared to most districts,” Barrington said. “The pay is pretty good for an auxiliary position, but Dripping Springs is just an expensive area to live in. We have several drivers that are coming from surrounding communities because they can’t afford to live where they work.”
Asked about additional job openings in the district, Barrington said that, “Across the board, it’s nothing too crazy other than the bus drivers. “We do have different departments with several positions open — the special education department does have several openings — but teacher and teacher aide positions have been mostly filled.”