News Summary
The Mat-Su Borough School District has canceled multiple bus routes due to a significant driver shortage, with 42 segments affected recently. This issue stems from high absences among drivers and lack of standby support. Parents expressed frustration over late notifications, complicating their schedules. Despite the disruptions, there’s cautious optimism as some drivers are returning, and new recruits are in training. Meanwhile, ongoing challenges with driver availability persist in Anchorage, prompting creative interim solutions to support families affected by the shortages.
Wasilla, Alaska – The Mat-Su Borough School District has canceled dozens of school bus routes due to a significant shortage of drivers. On Thursday and Friday of the previous week, approximately 42 bus route segments were affected out of the district’s daily operation of 550 route segments. The cancellations were primarily attributed to staffing issues at Durham School Services, the district’s contracted bus provider since 2022 under a nearly $200 million agreement.
A district spokesperson indicated that the driver shortages stemmed from a high number of absences without adequate standby drivers to fill in. Parents have voiced their frustration over late notifications concerning these cancellations, often receiving alerts just hours before scheduled pick-up times. Such last-minute changes have complicated family logistics, making it difficult for parents to coordinate work and school schedules.
While less than 4% of the district’s bus routes were impacted by these recent cancellations, the disruptions raised concerns among families. Fortunately, no additional cancellations were reported the following Monday, leading to cautious optimism regarding the immediate resolution of the staffing issues. Durham School Services noted that the driver shortage resulted from multiple factors, including unplanned leave and driver call-offs.
The district anticipates some improvement in the situation as certain drivers are expected to return to their positions and new drivers are nearing completion of their training. Similar downturns in service were experienced earlier; in August 2022, the district had faced a driver shortage at the beginning of the school year, causing cancellations of regular education routes. Comparatively, the Anchorage School District also encountered related challenges, initiating a rotating bus schedule that impacted many families when the school year commenced in 2022.
The ongoing contract with Durham School Services is set to extend until June 30, 2032. Notably, the Alaska National Guard confirmed that it could not assist with the driver shortages due to legal restrictions preventing activation for such support. Meanwhile, the Anchorage School District is exploring alternative solutions to alleviate the transportation burdens on families amid its own ongoing driver shortages.
In Anchorage, the bus service is currently limited, with only enough drivers to accommodate 7,000 of the 20,000 eligible students at any given time, necessitating a rotating service system. This involves dividing general education bus routes into three cohorts, providing service for three weeks followed by a six-week suspension. However, special education routes and students living within 1.5 miles of their schools are unaffected by these service suspensions. Parents in the Anchorage district have also been encouraged to drive their children to school or organize carpools as interim solutions.
To attract new drivers, the Anchorage School District has introduced a $2,500 incentive package for potential new drivers, alongside an additional $500 specifically for bus attendants for the first semester. Despite these initiatives, the driver shortage remains a pressing issue, with a current count of 375 open positions throughout the Anchorage School District across various departments beyond transportation.
The efforts to mitigate these challenges are ongoing, and while the immediate situation in the Mat-Su Borough may show signs of recovery, the larger context of driver shortages in school districts across Alaska continues to be a complex problem requiring sustained attention and action.
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Additional Resources
- Alaska’s News Source: Driver Shortage Hits Mat-Su Students
- Wikipedia: School Bus
- Anchorage Daily News: National Guard Unable to Help with Bus Driver Shortage
- Google Search: School Bus Driver Shortage
- School Transportation News: Driver Shortages in Alaska
- Google Scholar: School Bus Driver Shortage
- Anchorage Daily News: ASD Bus Routes Suspension
- Encyclopedia Britannica: School Transportation
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