The Chehalis School District will likely continue its two-tiered transportation schedule “indefinitely” due to ongoing staffing shortages, the district announced Friday.
The district implemented the schedule, which staggered starting and release times for schools throughout the district, when schools resumed full-time instruction in the fall of 2021.
“When schools were ready to welcome students back to the classrooms, parents were excited, but bus drivers were few,” said the district in a news release on Friday. Most years pre-pandemic, the Chehalis School District would have around 22 bus drivers, according to the news release. The district is now down to 14.
That number has not changed since the district first announced the two-tiered transportation schedule in August 2021.
"Like many districts nationwide, we have a bus driver shortage which just hasn’t resolved itself,” said Chehalis Superintendent Dr. Christine Moloney. “The first person to greet our students each day is essential — and they are harder and harder to find.”
The Chehalis School District, like many nationwide, continues to face “unprecedented challenges” trying to find enough workers to fill open jobs in critical positions, per the news release.
“At the surface, things are looking great for staff and students,” said Director of Business and Operations Heather C. Pinkerton. “But the reality is, we can’t find enough employees to drive buses.”
That difficulty comes from a nationwide workforce shortage that was exacerbated by COVID-19 disruptions.
“Before the pandemic, the district barely had enough workers to meet basic needs each day. There was a supply of substitute workers to fill the gap when there was a need. When COVID hit, and illness spread, the landscape changed entirely,” the district stated. “The workforce shrunk, and it hasn’t returned. The shortage has meant some of the changes put in place during the tough times of the pandemic are going to stay indefinitely.”
The Chehalis School District has attended job fairs, posted banners throughout town and invested in commercial advertising along well-traveled driving routes in an effort to advertise the open positions.
“It’s been especially challenging to find people interested in driving school buses,” Director of Human Resources Debby Gregory said, “but our paid (CDL) training program stands ready for new candidates and bus driver jobs are posted year-round for potential job seekers moving into our community or perhaps a newly retired individual or veteran looking for a part-time position.”
In addition to full-time drivers, the Chehalis School District, in conjunction with the Centralia/Chehalis Pupil Transportation Cooperative, also seeks individuals to serve as substitute drivers.
For more information about the qualification and conditions of employment, visit chehalisschools.org/jobs/.
