Amid hiring struggle, Jefferson County 7-year-old makes 'help wanted' video for school bus drivers

It's a hiring strategy that's never been attempted and it just might work to address the bus driver shortage in Jefferson County.

"It was the night before Kinzie's first day of second grade and we got an email saying the bus was canceled," said Matt Fiedler, Kinzie's father.

Kinzie's parents did not expect to see tears from their 7-year-old over the bus.

"She was really sad. Way sadder than we would have expected her to be. Ester Fiedler, Kinzie's mom, said, "well if you want to do something about it, you can set up a booth at the local grocery store, and you can find bus drivers."

"We thought nothing would come of it," said Matt Fiedler.

The very next day, Kinzie was making "help wanted" signs and had written a speech, which she had her mother record and post on Youtube.

"I didn't know how much the bus driver meant and once I saw that I was like, 'oh my gosh, this is a role in the community that I overlooked,'" said Ester Fiedler.

Recruiting bus drivers has been a challenge for the Jefferson County School District. Raising wages, offering training and benefits -- it's been enough to get by, but not to compete with the private sector, which often pays more for drivers with a commercial license or CLD.

Jefferson County says bus drivers also have a federal medical restriction which makes it harder to find qualified drivers.

Right now, Jeffco Public Schools is about 60 drivers short, but it's not alone. The Douglas County School District, for instance, says it's short around 70 drivers. Denver Public Schools says it needs around 40. Like Jefferson, both have had to cancel routes.

"We were successful recently in negotiating a competitive wage for our drivers," said Scott Pribble, a spokesman for Denver Public Schools. "Our hope is that those increases, which are competitive with the private sector, will be helpful in future hiring and recruiting. Our home-to-school and school-to-home services have not been cut for our students. DPS partners with charter services for athletics and excursions that cannot be covered due to operational constraints."

CDL drivers now start at $24.40 per hour and non-CDL Drivers start at $18.89 per hour, according to Pribble.  

Kinzie spent hours with watercolors painting signs, which her parents turned into flyers with a QR code linking to more information on how to apply.

CBS News Colorado recently caught up with the Three Creeks K-8 School second grader at Arvada's Freedom Street Social. She was handing the flyers out with her other bus buddies to anyone who would listen.

"Excuse me, hi my name is Kinzie, we are looking for bus drivers at schools," she said.

"I've thought for a long time that we need to be asking the community for help versus a sign on the road that says we're hiring," said Ken Hathaway, a bus driver with the Jefferson County School District.

Hathaway has been driving for the district for 13 years and has noticed that it's been getting harder to recruit. He thinks it's due to a lack of understanding about the position- uncertainty over the split shift is a common concern.

"It depends on your lifestyle and whatnot, but you know you've got the middle of the day to do shopping when it's not so crowded or run errands go to the dentist, take your kids to the doctor," he said.

The one thing that keeps him coming back is knowing he helps set the tone for kids before school starts, and when they head home at the end of the day; not something driving for the private sector can offer.

"I originally started kind of thinking of giving back to the community and never left," he laughed. "It's just a reminder to you that they're all just kids, they just need somebody to help get their day started or end their day."

The starting rate for a bus driver in Jefferson County is $21.70 per hour, which comes with training, at least 30 hours a week and health benefits. The district has hired an outside recruiting company, which has helped, but it's unlikely the company will have the same impact as Kinzie. 

The 7-year-old beamed when asked why people should apply: "It's fun to be a bus driver!" 

"It's an opportunity to invest in the community and really give the kids in the community to connect and to have fun and engage with each other outside of school, outside of the preview of their parents in a protected environment," said Kinzie's dad.  

For more information on becoming a bus driver for the Jefferson County School District, click here.