By Mar Ayala-Ortiz, Editor in Chief
November, 2021
It is 5:45pm and still one bus is missing. Students are either sitting on the stairs or waiting inside for their bus to arrive. As the hour of waiting passes, students begin to call their parents to pick them up or take the metro instead. But for many, the bus is their only form of transportation. Students get antsy as a teacher continues to announce how much time is left before a bus does finally arrive. Before long, most of the staff is gone and only 10 students are left waiting at the KAC front entrance steps, peeking over the gates in hopes of catching a glimpse of the memorable yellow coating on the bus.
With the return to school now bringing in students and staff fully in-person, many students now have to rely on buses for transportation. But amidst a pandemic, KAC is having a hard time recruiting bus drivers willing to drive kids to and from school. As a result, many students are waiting up to an hour in order for a bus to finish making a previous round before finally picking them up.
“Our bus company is always actively looking to hire drivers and they promote openings in as many ways that they possibly can,” said Maritza Gonzalez, Assistant Principal of Instruction for the 11th grade. “One way we try to recruit potential drivers at KAC is that Principal Lopez includes a hiring message in her weekly newsletter out to staff and teachers promoting available jobs in the network. Staff can reach out to family members or friends with this information which supports the bus company’s networking for more employees.” But with the return to the workplace, it seems like many people feel hesitant about having to work amidst a pandemic.
Gonzalez continued, “There are several factors contributing to the shortage of bus drivers but one of the major ones is the impact Covid-19 has had on the world. Not only have we lost people to this tragedy, but we are also seeing people rethink their workplaces, and demand has increased but employment supply has not, so overall.” And as vaccination rates for young people lag behind those of adults, many school bus drivers worry about the risk of exposure to the virus.
Currently, bus drivers are being offered $21 an hour to work, along with being provided work benefits. This is comparable to places even outside of Texas as seen in Pennsylvania where school districts are paying families $300/month to help with bus pickups, or in Ohio where bus drivers protested for a better pay. According to the Amalgamated Transit Union, around 55% of students nationwide depend on buses for transportation. But without bus drivers filling in, especially with many districts saying that they have 30-50% fewer bus drivers compared to other years, more kids have to be crammed in an already small space.
And this is all a stressful situation for students as well. After the last bell rings, students are eager to get back home. Yet some still have to wait up to an hour for their bus to return after making their last round with the middle school and elementary students. At times, one bus driver can end up responsible for more than two bus stops. But at times, their rounds may not come to an end. In some cases, students have had to be left behind due to the limit in seats available. Others have had the option of taking a van home if students are too packed within the bus.
But even getting to school on time is a struggle, as buses sometimes run late in the morning. Consequently, some students have lost time in class for reasons outside of their control. Gonzalez reported, “Teachers always gather data on student performance and if they notice (a) student is not passing their class or not mastering the material, they will call the student in for tutoring or office hours to support with their learning.”
“I don’t see it much as bus stops,” stated bus driver Katrina LeBlanque. Regardless of these challenges, she finds that she looks forward to her job every day. “This is the best job I’ve had in my entire life,” she said. It’s quite warming to hear how, aside from going through a bus driver shortage, our current bus drivers are constantly looking out for the kids. Gonzalez said our staff continues “to be grateful for the current drivers we have and we support them with clear communication and positive and adjusting feedback to ensure we are creating a system that is effective.” And students share their gratitude with daily “thank you’s” as they exit the bus.
“Ya’ll are the ones that make me want to be a bus driver,” said LeBlanque about the students she drives, making clear that our bus drivers hold a special place in their hearts for the kids they take care of. “Y’all are little to me,” she added, showing the more softhearted side of her job, which involves the responsibility of ensuring every kid gets to school and back home safely.
KAC continues to support their bus drivers amidst a pandemic and the shortage. KIPP’s current plan is to keep advertising this job opportunity in order to prevent this issue from arising these upcoming months. Hopefully by next year transportation will become more reliable for our KIPPsters.
Gonzalez encouraged families and students to download the FirstView app, which she said “allows students to track their route in real time and be notified of any changes.”
Our bus team works hard to help our students and are grateful for the students’ patience. Regardless of the struggles the pandemic has imposed, staff continue to try their best to ensure the safety of our students while ensuring they arrive at their destination.
The Cardinal Post 