October 25, 2022

 

 

Good afternoon West Shore students, staff, and families,

 

Like many other school districts in the country, we continue to struggle with a shortage of school bus drivers. Currently we have 12 openings, that is 24 bus runs between the morning and the afternoon, that do not have a designated driver each day. These vacancies also do not account for the daily challenge to transport students and athletes to competitions and other afterschool activities.

 

We understand the driver shortage has required many of our families to adjust their plans when their student was held after school, a bus did not arrive in the morning, or a driver who is not familiar with the route was running late. To limit the frequency of these disruptions to any one family, we have been rotating which bus runs will be impacted, consolidating bus runs when possible, and utilizing all available staff to drive our buses. We realize, however, when office staff and mechanics are needed behind the wheel that there are times when phone calls and email messages cannot be answered as quickly as we (or you) would like.

 

These are not ideal conditions for anyone; students, families, or bus drivers. We ask for your continued patience and understanding, particularly with our current bus drivers. These caring and hardworking individuals have been picking up extra runs and extra hours to ensure we can continue to offer transportation to and from school for all our students.

 

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we anticipate more delays as we head into cold and flu season unless we can fill some of our current openings. It is important for families to be prepared. Please make sure you have a plan in place for who will wait with your child in the morning if the bus is running late or who will available to meet your child at the bus stop in the afternoon if their bus run is delayed. To the best of our ability, we will continue to provide families with as much advance notice as possible when delays are scheduled.

 

First Student is currently offering:

 

If you, or someone you know, may be interested in becoming a bus or van driver, even for just a few hours a day, please contact First Student, our transportation contractor, at 717-938-8788 or apply online.

 

On behalf of First Student and our entire Transportation Department, thank you for your support and patience as we navigate this staffing shortage together. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Todd B. Stoltz, Ed.D.
Superintendent

#WestShoreProud