As the school year comes to an end, the Wattsburg Area School District is hoping to address a critical shortage of bus drivers.

According to Wattsburg Area School District Superintendent Ken Berlin, the district needs 25 drivers to operate at maximum capacity.
However, the district has only had 18 drivers for most of the year.

"We've had to combine runs, rearrange runs, and change bus times," said Berlin. "We've had to get pretty creative to keep school open."
In an effort to get more bus drivers on board, the district is now offering a $1,000 sign on bonus.

The starting salary ranges from $16.50 to $17.50 an hour.

"We're offering a $1,000 incentive to anyone who wants to come and train to be a bus driver with us and Durham Transportation," said Berlin. "In addition to the $1,000 bonus, they will pay for your training and licensing fees."

Berlin says the shortage has only added to an already challenging year.

"It's been very challenging because every day is a different puzzle you have to solve," said Berlin. "In fact, the whole pandemic has been like that. We're good at solving normal school problems that we encounter every day, but with COVID, it seems like all the normal rules and problems went out the window."

Durham Transportation is going host a job fair this summer on the Wattsburg campus, in hopes of attracting additional bus drivers.

This story is supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.