LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jefferson County Public Schools is hoping to add 100 more bus drivers to its ranks during a "hiring blitz" Monday, Chief Operations Officer Chris Perkins said.
Kentucky’s largest school district is hosting potential hires at the C.B. Young Service Center at 3001 Crittenden Drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday. Perkins said during a Thursday news conference that JCPS has "done everything we can to make this somewhat of a one-stop shop for prospective applicants."
"They’ll be able to complete paperwork, do background checks," he said. "We’ll be running shuttles to Concentra to provide drug testing and physicals, and we’ll be doing interviews here that day on the spot.
"So applicants, it really is a great opportunity to get in the door and potentially walk out with a job offer."
Applicants should bring their driver's license, a copy of their high school diploma or GED, their Social Security card, and a voided check or letter from their bank for direct deposit, according to JCPS.
The search for bus drivers comes as JCPS prepares to start the 2022-23 school year Aug. 10 amid staffing shortages in areas like transportation. The district is also looking to hire more certified teachers in what Superintendent Marty Pollio has called "our new normal" in a tight labor market.
"We’re going to be dealing with this challenge in some way every year moving forward," Pollio said during Tuesday’s Jefferson County Board of Education meeting, specifically identifying shortages of bus drivers, teachers and instructional assistants.
JCPS is offering drivers starting pay of $21.69 per hour plus an extra $6 per hour for perfect attendance every two-week pay period and another $2 per hour for drivers who take on some of the district’s more challenging routes.
"We’re working on increasing that," Perkins said of the $2-per-hour incentive.
The district has about 100 prospective drivers in various stages of the hiring process now, and the extra 100 it hopes to add will help drivers like Lamecka Savage, a bus driver for JCPS for 22 years, balance their workloads.
"Getting our kids to and from school is the issue," Savage said during Tuesday’s news conference. "One bus driver can't hold or do more than one run and get there on time and get those kids to school in the time that they need to be there. Me as a parent, we need bus drivers because that means your child's going to be sitting waiting for that bus to get done with their run to pick up a whole other run."
Lamecka Savage, a JCPS bus driver for 22 years, stands next to her bus on July 21, 2022. JCPS is hosting a "hiring blitz" for bus drivers on July 25, 2022.
Having more drivers and substitute drivers available lightens the burden to cover routes during absences, Perkins said.
"If a driver calls in sick and we don’t have someone to cover that, she does her route and then she’s covering someone else’s, and so the more that we hire, the more efficient and better service we can provide to students," he said.
JCPS already consolidated routes during the 2021-22 school year in the face of similar staffing issues, Perkins said.
"We don’t anticipate cutting any routes at this time," he said. "... Our ambition is to, again, bring on another 100 drivers if we can just to be able to start (spreading) some of those routes we've had to double up on."
While the job comes with tremendous responsibility in transporting students to and from school every weekday, Savage said the personal rewards are worth the task.
"I love the kids. The kids are what makes the job worth doing," said Savage, whose route covers Male High School, W.E.B. DuBois Academy, Crums Lane Elementary School and Mill Creek Elementary School. "... It’s a wonderful work experience, and you’re doing your part for the community."
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