ASHEBORO — The need for bus drivers is ongoing within the Randolph County School System.
Superintendent Stephen Gainey said the latest push to attract more drivers isn’t an alarm as much as a reminder that the topic remains on the minds of school administrators.
“Our No. 1 job is taking care of children,” Gainey said. “We have to get them to school.”
As of last week, there were 26 positions open that include responsibilities as bus drivers. That’s a reduction from a few years ago when the problem became heightened.
“It has been a pretty steady need since the pandemic when it rose up,” Gainey said. “It has just been a situation that has not gone away.”
The positions are available in several formats. Drivers can handle morning and afternoon routes, or just a morning-only or afternoon-only route.
“If you are interested in driving a bus, we have full-time positions,” Gainey said. “We also can make part-time positions.”
There are 140 buses used on each school day in the district, he said.
The school required all full-time workers in what’s called classified positions to be certified to drive buses. So that’s how the district fills the openings.
Gainey said that might mean a teacher’s assistant, a custodian or a child nutrition worker will drive bus routes. They’re paid accordingly for those additional duties.
Ideally, those employees wouldn’t be called up as often as they are to drive buses, the superintendent said.
“It would be nice to get some relief,” he said.
There have been other employee shortages for RCSS. Gainey pointed to child nutrition (cafeteria workers) and custodians as areas that have been addressed in the past.
Gainey said it seems like a good time to make the public aware of the shortage in an effort to recruit more drivers.
“We need all the help we can get to fill these,” he said. “Please reach out to us.”
