Where have all the people gone? I hear murmurings in many different industries about the shortage of workers. A friend of mine works in the news industry and agreed that they have been short for quite some time. Over the summer, my mom was struggling to find contractors for her finance company. But teaching has definitely been struggling with shortages post-pandemic. By some miracle, my school started the year fully staffed. However, as the year progressed, one specific shortage started to affect the entire district.
Bus Drivers!
My district has been struggling to hire and retain bus drivers this year. Which has led to the administration having to monitor and adjust. Throughout the quarter, we have had rolling bus suspensions. So bus 32 might be running this week but next week it doesn’t run for that entire week.
The first week that buses had to be canceled, my school had two routes suspended. Traffic in the morning was insane! Teachers had to be at school by 6:30 am instead of our normal 6:50 am, in order to beat the line of traffic that formed outside of our school. The traffic was even reaching the nearby interstate on-ramp. This pushed us to reevaluate our drop-off and pick-up procedures in creative ways to adjust to the influx of cars driving onto campus.
For many working families, this has become a difficult challenge to overcome. During this time, some students do end up having to stay home from the lack of transportation. Many people quickly learned that Arizona law does not require schools to provide transportation. Thankfully, many families have stepped up and created carpool groups in order to help get students to school. It warms my heart to see the community pulling together to find creative solutions.
Sara Mora reading “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” in her classroom.
It is an unfortunate situation. The last thing we want is to cause a disruption to how our systems work and to create obstacles that potentially hinder students from having access to their education. But what more can the district do? They have increased the pay for bus drivers and have used several different avenues to recruit and retain bus drivers. And yet, the bus cancelation rotation schedule continues until the beginning of December. I don’t doubt that a new schedule will be sent out as that date approaches. I think we’re at the point where we would even let the Pigeon drive the bus.
Even though many industries are struggling with retaining and maintaining workers, this season has given a whole new meaning or deeper realization to the idea of essential workers in our communities. So if there is a bus driver in your life, be sure to thank them and shower them with small gifts for what they do for you and your family.
Has your school or community had a similar experience with the worker shortage? How have you had to pivot to modify and adjust to the new situation? Leave a comment below sharing your perspective.
Sara Mora
Sara Mora has been living her dream of being a teacher for the last 12 years. She studied Elementary Education at the University of Arizona and was selected as a Rodel Oustanding Student Teacher. Sara taught 1st grade in Nogales for 3 years before moving to 2nd grade in the Sahuarita Unified School District to be closer to home. In 2017, she obtained her Master’s in Educational Technology from Northern Arizona University. This degree opened the door for her to move into a brand new position at the newest K-8 in Sahuarita. Sara was tasked with designing and implementing a middle school Career and Technical Education program geared towards college and career exploration. And though not required, Sara worked towards getting certified in Career and Technical Education so that she could do justice to her position. After her first year in this position, she was selected as an Arizona Education Foundation Ambassador of Excellence Teacher of the Year for 2021. When she’s not teaching, she’s advising her Video Production Club and facilitating Technology Professional Development for her district. In her spare time, Sara also works as a health coach, enjoys volunteering her tech skills at church, traveling with her husband and son, reading, and making Tik Tok videos.