States across the country are looking to the National Guard to serve as school bus drivers amid a massive shortage.
On Monday, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker deployed National Guard soldiers to local schools. Up to 250 guardsmen will drive school transport vans to get children to school. The drivers must complete vehicle and safety training before they can begin.
“We asked a bunch of communities if they’d be interested in having Guard people drive vehicles for them, especially the smaller buses,” Gov. Baker told reporters Monday. “[They] said, ‘If you can figure out the legal issues and the paperwork ... that would be great.’”
Many of the National Guard’s members already have commercial driver’s licenses.
Nationwide, a shortage of CDL-licensed drivers has hampered back-to-school efforts in dozens of districts. Officials point to low pay for drivers, the estimated seven weeks it takes to obtain a CDL, and lack of job benefits as reasons for the low number of drivers.
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The Philadelphia School District is considering asking for help from the National Guard and Amazon. Superintendent William Hite told reporters he’s already made that request to the governor and has contacted Amazon to ask for logistical support.
Philadelphia schools have also incentivized parents who can drive their children to school with a $300 monthly allowance if they do so. In Delaware, Eastside Charter School said it would pay $700 a year for each child a parent drives.
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Pittsburgh Public Schools delayed the start of school by two weeks because of the shortage. Some students in Rochester City Schools in New York—stranded without a ride—will be forced to attend classes remotely while leaders hire more drivers.
Schools in Chicago saw dozens of resignations from bus drivers who refused to be vaccinated. So now, the city is paying parents $1,000 upfront and $500 a month after to use for children’s transportation.
Congressional legislators, like Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-N.Y.), want the Department of Transportation to replace the requirement with a school bus-specific certification.
“We need to make sure that it is easy to hire the necessary workforce to get students into the classroom. Therefore, I urge you to consider waiving the required CDL for school bus drivers to help address the driver shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Morelle wrote to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
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