Hopewell School District's bus driver shortage leads to a remote learning day
Students in the Hopewell Area School District learned remotely Thursday and it was because of a bus driver shortage.
"There was an overnight callout that really stressed the system," Hopewell Area School District Superintendent Jeff Beltz said.
Beltz said the district tried to make it work Thursday, but it didn't end up working out.
"[We] tried to think outside the box – even, 'could we put one school on delay while we move the others?'" he said.
The driver shortage here isn't new at the Hopewell Area School District. Beltz said it has been balancing it for the past couple of years, and that the district is down about three to four drivers currently.
"Low 30s would make it be fully operational," he said.
The district has put ads on its website to try and attract new drivers.
"We've only picked up maybe one, one and a half drivers in that sequence," Beltz said.
It even posted a flyer online, offering to help with Commercial Drivers' License (CDL) training.
"Our biggest issue is the CDLs and being certified," Beltz said. "It may take us into the summer where we'll have some heavier recruiting efforts and maybe be able to expand our training as well or training offerings."
Beltz said he understands what a day like Thursday means for district parents.
"We actually had a musical performance going on today as well – so some families were taking off for that, and now the students are at home," he said. "…we do have a lot of families where both parents work, and we realize that this puts some stress on our families."
Hopewell Area School District said it will return to regular, in-person learning on Friday, March 28.
"Families will receive direct correspondence from the transportation department should individual bus routes and loading times be altered to complete bus runs on Friday, the District said in a message to families.
A flyer is on the district's website with information on how to apply if you are interested in being a bus driver for the district you can check out more at this link.
