(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Huntley Community School District 158 administrators ended the school year but are already looking ahead as they struggle to fill a key position.
Finding bus drivers has been a challenge during this past school year, and the current labor shortage may exacerbate the situation.
District 158, in the northwest suburbs, is offering more than $17 an hour for drivers and more than $12 an hour for bus aides.
COVID-19 capacity limits added complications to the district's return to full-time in-person learning in April. At the time, Superintendent Scott Rowe estimated they needed 10 to 15 more drivers to accommodate everyone next fall, if the roughly 40% who did remote learning come back.
For several years, the district has relied on residents of the nearby Dell Webb senior living community for some of its drivers.
