School Bus Drivers Are In Demand

Most of Northwest Arkansas' biggest school districts frequently have a hard time finding all the bus drivers they need. The Bentonville School District has struggled for years to keep enough drivers, leading officials to become more aggressive in their recruitment efforts.

The district last month began to advertise its need on a digital billboard at the corner of Walton Boulevard and Southeast 14th Street. It tried the same thing for about a month last year, said Chris DeWitt, transportation director.

At A Glance

Contact Info

Where to find more information or apply for bus driver positions for each of Northwest Arkansas’ biggest school districts:

• Bentonville: 3503 N.W. Marquess Drive; 479-696-9587; BentonvilleK12.org

• Springdale: 1612 E. Emma Ave.; 479-750-8830; sdale.org

• Rogers: 479-631-3519; RogersSchools.net

• Fayetteville: 2325 W. Stone St.; 479-444-3095; district.fayar.net

Source: Staff Report

"Drivers Wanted. Great Pay," the sign reads, along with a graphic of a school bus and the phone number to call. The billboard has two faces and the ad is displayed on both. It's rotated among other digital ads.

The district has seen an uptick in applications since the billboard began to run, but most of those applicants said they were drawn either by newspaper advertisements or parked school buses that advertise the district's need, DeWitt said.

"Whether we do (billboard advertising) again or not, at this point, I don't think so," he said.

The billboard ad costs the district about $2,100 per month, DeWitt said.

Bentonville has 15,464 students. About 10,645 are registered for bus service. The district has 130 bus routes and has several driver positions open. The scarcity of drivers has been an ongoing issue.

"For 10 to 12 years, we've never been completely staffed," DeWitt said.

Bentonville drivers make between $11,880 and $17,160 per year, said Dena Ross, executive director of human resources.

Finding school bus drivers is a challenge because it's not a full-time job, Ross said. The job also requires a commercial driver's license and applicants must pass a background check.

And, of course, drivers must know how to deal with children, said Tommy Davenport, Fayetteville's transportation director.

"Kids can be rowdy," Davenport said.

Not helping the districts' recruitment efforts is a new rule that public school employees who work fewer than 30 hours per week are not eligible for health insurance.

"We have lost some drivers because of that," Ross said.

Fayetteville started the school year needing seven drivers and still needs a few more, Davenport said.

"This has been the most challenging year we've had in about 10 years," he said.

The insurance issue probably has played a part in that, but other factors are at work too, he said. The biggest thing is the split shift most drivers work -- a couple of hours in the morning, then a couple of hours in the afternoon. And when the economy improves, there is more competition for workers.

"The economy is pretty good in Fayetteville," Davenport said.

The Springdale School District almost always has driving positions available, said Dana Samples, Springdale's transportation supervisor.

"We're always looking. On the very rare occasion that we think we're full, then give us a couple of days and we'll be two or three short," Samples said.

Many of the driving jobs are taken by people who are semi-retired and need a little extra income. Given their ages, however, that means those same people are more likely to miss long periods of time because of health issues, Samples said.

"Because of the age of our staff, we always have someone who's out on medical leave. There's just something all the darn time. And I include myself in that too, by the way," Samples said.

Given how much is happening in the district, Springdale drivers can find enough work -- through field trips, athletic events and extended-day programs -- to work at least 30 hours per week, if they want.

"There's a way," he said. "It requires more effort, but that's an OK thing."

The starting salary for a Springdale bus driver is $13,031. A driver could earn more than $20,000 by taking as many opportunities as are available, Samples said.

Ron Young, director of transportation for the Rogers School District, said Rogers has worked to accommodate bus drivers who need those 30 hours per week. Between their morning and afternoon driving duties, some drivers go to work in other departments, such as food service.

"It's filled a need for our drivers and a need for our district. It's been a blessing in disguise," Young said.

Rogers, which operates 76 bus routes covering 256 square miles, is in good shape with its driving staff, though Young said he'd be willing to hire a substitute driver or two.

"I think we've got a great system and some awesome people who drive for us. We try to take care of our people," he said.

NW News on 12/08/2014

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