Glasgow Schools In Dire Need Of Bus Drivers

The Glasgow Schools held their regular monthly board meeting on Dec. 12, inside of the District Board Room. The most important topic discussed was the shortage of bus drivers the district is currently experiencing. “It’s a unique position. It fits a certain set of community members. You start in the morning, then you are done for the day, then you drive the bus in the afternoon. If you get caught up doing something in between, you can lose track of time in between,” explained Superintendent Wade Sundby on why the position is so hard to fill.

According to Sundby, there are eight total routes within the school district, and at the beginning of the school year, there was a driver for each route. However as the past few months have gone by, three of those drivers are unable to work for the district. To help maintain the same level of service the community has expected, full-time staff members Joel Smith, who teaches at the middle school, and Brenner Flaten, who is Irle Elementary’s assistant principal as well as the Glasgow Schools athletic director, have taken a route in addition to their full time positions within the school district. Frank Burns, who is a sub bus driver, has also graciously taken on a route. Though the school district has made it work up to this point, this solution is not maintainable. “We need to take action here in the near future,” stressed Superintendent Sundby.

During the school board meeting, different scenarios were discussed on what a solution could look like if drivers are not obtained. One scenario offered was the School District contracting with Valley County Transit which according to Superintendent Sundby, the County Attorney Dylan Jensen is currently looking at drawing up a contract to see what that could look like. However, Valley County Transit is also low on drivers, so there is a possibility as they lose drivers, their service would be lost as well, bringing the school district back to their current situation.

Another scenario discussed was purchasing two Ford Expeditions, as this vehicle is the only five-star rating passenger vehicle, which is the requirement when having a vehicle to drive the students that is not a designated bus or school bus. Each Expedition would hold seven passengers, and each one would only be used for transportation to and from the school. Superintendent Sundby explained he is looking at getting two, with one running down the Milk River Highway and the other one would run from Fox Road to Nashua. The purchase of these Expeditions would come from the general fund and then any upkeep expenses would be taken from the transportation fund. The benefit of having vehicles is that anyone could drive them, and drivers would not need a CDL however still would have to go through the regular requirements of a bus driver, including physical, drug testing and First Aid/CPR.

Chair board member Angie Page asked during the board meeting if suspending a route and reimbursing parents for mileage would be more financially responsible, stating, “It’s less expensive for the time being, particularly for those closer to town,” and she believes this option needs to be analyzed as well. Another thought she mentioned was the possibility of offering a signing bonus as well as a secondary bonus tier system in order to get drivers to apply and work for the district. “We have reached the breaking point with our transportation services,” she stated.

Though no official decision was made at this point on the best way going forward, Superintendent Sundby stressed everything would be status quo until the best solution is figured out. “Discussions will continue throughout the year and also at the next school board meeting."

According to Superintendent Sundby, anyone interested in becoming a school bus driver is welcome to apply on the Glasgow School District website, https://glasgowsd.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx. Drivers are guaranteed 16 hours a week while school is in session, while the District pays for the CDL training necessary to receive that certification. Other requirements include appropriate background checks, a physical, drug testing, as well as updated First Aid and CPR.

The next regular school board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 11, 6 p.m., at the District Boardroom, 229 7th St N, Glasgow.