Spokane Public School leaders discuss bus driver shortage at board meeting

SPOKANE, Wash.–Spokane Public Schools discussed its need for bus drivers Wednesday at a board meeting.

One solution is to use vans to pick up students on routes with fewer kids.

Bus delays for the school district have left some students arriving at school up to two hours late. While the schools have encouraged finding alternative modes of transportation, many families cannot make the necessary accommodations.

Superintendent of Spokane Public Schools Dr. Adam Swinyard said that a driver calling in sick in the morning likely won’t have a substitute, making their route late. If a driver is sick, they will work to communicate with families as quickly as possible to let them know.

Durham School Services, the bus company SPS contracts with, says it has been tough for them to find drivers. A spokesperson for Durham School Services says there have been 10 people who have resigned in the last few weeks because of the vaccination mandate in Washington. However, Durham School Services says a majority of their employees have responded saying they will get vaccinated; “at least 10-percent of our workforce has expressed that they will find employment elsewhere,” they said.’

There is some good news. SPS said Durham hired 24 new drivers and they are going through training.

If people are looking for employment and want to drive a bus for any of these districts or companies, check out their respective websites to apply.

RELATED: Some Spokane families can see bus delays by 2 hours

RELATED: Families across the Inland Northwest affected by bus driver shortages

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