Families in one North Carolina school district have been warned to expect transportation delays during the new school year.
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools reported that 42 of its 237 active bus routes did not have assigned drivers. That means nearly 18% of the district’s routes are operating without a permanent driver.
Low pay may be making the problem more difficult to solve. North Carolina’s state salary schedule provides school bus drivers with a minimum equal to about $15 per hour. NC Careers reports that the median yearly pay for school bus drivers in the state is approximately $37,000.
The job requires drivers to earn the correct commercial license, follow strict safety rules and accept responsibility for transporting children. Many positions also use split shifts, with drivers working in the morning and returning in the afternoon.
When districts cannot fill these positions, students may experience late buses, longer routes and changing pickup times. Parents may also have to adjust their work schedules or find another way to get their children to school.
Source: La Noticia
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