26 August 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The bus driver shortage is a problem for many school districts across the state, and in Haysville, the extreme heat is adding to the problem.
The recent heat wave has caused some drivers to call in while others just haven’t shown up. The district is warning parents that they may have to have a backup plan if the district doesn’t have enough drivers to go on all the routes.
“We don’t want to get to this point. We’re reaching for ideas and ways every single day whether we take kids and move them around to different routes, different vehicles or whatever that may look like, and we just want to modify what we currently have,” USD 261 Director of Transportation Justin Bloomer said.
The district currently employs 65 drivers and busses, roughly 2,500 students within the community and would like to ideally hire 10 to 15 more drivers if possible.
This is not the first time that USD 261 has been through a driver shortage, as the school district went through a similar situation during the pandemic.
Anyone that is interested in becoming a school bus driver for the district is encouraged to go to the USD 261 website to apply.