A bus driver shortage is producing canceled classes in one local school district.
Baldwin Whitehall Superintendent Randall Lutz joined the Big K Morning Show this morning and put it in plain terms the situation in his district:
"Think about prior to the pandemic, the 18-19 school year. We ran less kids to less schools, we had about 65 drivers and buses running. This year, more kids, more schools that we go to and we have just about half the drivers."
Lutz said state law requires a school district to provide transportation for all of its students in the district even if they attend private schools that fall outside the district, which makes the lack of drivers more of an issue.
The situation is so dire, Lutz said he's even training to be a bus driver. He says if the shortage doesn't ease soon, some students may have to switch to remote learning.
The district encompasses approximately 10 square miles. The district has about 4,500 students across all grade levels K-12, as of the 2021-2022 school year.