The Intelligencer
Local and state education officials express concern regularly about the shortage of qualified and certified teachers in West Virginia’s public schools. But there is another insufficiency, and in a critical way, it is much more worrisome for families as to whether students make it to school on a given day.
During a discussion recently before the Ohio County Board of Education, Ohio County Schools Operations Director David Crumm told board members the district currently is in need of two full-time drivers, and can always use more substitutes. Ohio County currently utilizes 41 bus drivers each day when school is in session — and with less than two weeks before the first day of classes on Aug. 16, filling those slots would be beneficial.
Ohio County has not had issues with ensuring students are picked up each day, but other counties in our region, in recent years, have faced severe bus driver shortages. Crumm and other administrators want to ensure that doesn’t happen here.
“We can always use additional sub drivers who are able to help on a daily basis,” Crumm said. “There are always extra curricular trips, sports trips and other activities during the school day.”
Potential bus drivers must have a commercial drivers license and sit through a few weeks of classes and driver training. As Crumm noted, they also have to enjoy working with children.
