6 minute read
DRIVER SHORTAGE continues on
Driver shortage
continued from page 3
occur, district staff members with commercial driver’s licenses will step in and cover routes.
Th e issue has plagued the district since before the pandemic began, and partially to blame is the nature of the job.
“Driving a school bus is a highly technical job that requires extensive training, background check, drug testing, etc. … Additionally, it’s not a full time, 8-hour job with most drivers working three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon with a mid-day break, thus resulting in a smaller paycheck than a normal eight-hour position, even if that position pays a lower wage,” Byard said in an email to Loudoun Now.
Th e district has gone to great lengths to entice new bus drivers. Th e starting wage was increased to $22.16 per hour, and drivers are given a $2,500 signing bonus. Drivers are also being guaranteed an increased number of hours. To appeal to parents, the district allows drivers to bring their children along on their routes. Th ere are hiring events twice a month at the district’s training center.
School districts across the nation face similar shortages, as drivers retired or found other work when schools closed during the pandemic. In Massachusetts, members of the National Guard are training to drive school buses. Such a measure isn’t an immediate fi x, as training for a commercial driver’s license can take several weeks.
Th e district uses the app, Here Comes the Bus, for families to track their buses’ arrival times and possible scheduling changes.
Information about bus driver positions is available at lcps.org/Page/217574. n
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Sheriff ’s Offi ce. Lollobrigido was held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. Sterling Park Shooting Under Investigation Th e Sheriff ’s Offi ce is investigating a shooting that happened early Sunday morning in a Sterling Park neighborhood. According to the report. shortly before 1 a.m. Sept. 19, a resident on West Nettle Lollobrigido Tree Road saw a gathering of several individuals in the roadway. A short time later, several residents reported hearing several gunshots and multiple vehicles leaving the scene. Deputies searched the area, fi nding shell casings and indications that one of the vehicles was damaged by the gunfi re. Th ere have been no injuries or victims reported. Investigators are asking residents along the street with home cameras to review
PUBLIC SAFETY continues on page 13
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