Wages low, bus drivers scarce

Sixth-grader Morgan Watson is getting antsy.

Lynndale Elementary School has already let out for the day in a crush of bodies and backpacks, but Watson and her friends are stuck in the school's crowded gym with dozens of other kids, waiting for the bus.

They could be waiting a few minutes, or they might be there the better part of an hour.

It all depends on how fast the school's bus drivers can circle back to pick them up.

Watson and her classmates, who spend most afternoons and mornings waiting for the bus, tick off all the things they're missing as they wait: after-school classes and sports, walking their dogs and hanging out with family and friends.

"It's getting pretty tiring," said 12-year-old Watson.

Unfortunately, waiting for the bus has become a new after-school club of sorts for kids in the Edmonds School District as a result of what the district is calling a desperate shortage of relief bus drivers.

So acute is the problem that substitute bus drivers, typically part-time employees, are working upward of 40 hours a week and making multiple runs to pick up kids.

Schools rely heavily on relief drivers to fill in for regular drivers who are sick or on vacation.

Without enough bus drivers, kids sometimes arrive at school late and are often left waiting at the end of the day as well.

The lack of drivers also means fewer school field trips as the district scrambles to find enough drivers to fill its time slots.

"I've seen shortages before, but not like it is today," said Reg Clarke, transportation director for Edmonds School District.

The shortage isn't limited to Edmonds — it extends through many school districts in Snohomish and King counties.

Districts are blaming the low unemployment rate, about 4 percent now in Snohomish County, which makes it easier for workers to pick and choose among hourly positions in different industries.

The lack of benefits and the pay, ranging from about $14 to $16 an hour depending on the district, also makes it challenging to recruit people.

Many of the larger school districts could use at least another 10 relief drivers, for a total of about 30 additional drivers across Snohomish County.

The Edmonds schools will spend the summer advertising heavily for additional drivers, out of fear that the problem will only grow worse at the start of the next school year.

"We're gearing up to do the training — if we can just get folks to apply," Clarke said.

Many kids, many routes

On a recent afternoon, driver Karen Olsen is piloting a bus from Lynndale Elementary full of high-spirited kids who will be late when Olsen drops them off at their stops.

The kids — including sixth-grader Watson — had to wait about 20 minutes to get on the bus, not too bad compared with some longer delays this year.

Olsen is behind schedule as usual — the next group of kids she'll pick up from Westgate Elementary has been waiting even longer.

Lately, she's spent a lot of time explaining to parents and their children why it's not her fault she hasn't arrived on time.

"It's horrible," said Olsen, who has been a relief driver for four years. "You're running late all the time."

For the Edmonds School District, the problem has been around for at least three years — a mild annoyance that slowly steamrolled into an unavoidable problem, particularly this spring.

Since many districts across Snohomish and King counties are facing the same problem, the demand for drivers has grown even more.

Clarke can remember opening a newspaper to see the Edmonds School District's large display advertisement for relief bus drivers, right next to three other, similar advertisements for the same positions at other districts.

"We just can't say to parents, 'OK, no bus driver is going to get your kids today,' " Clarke said.

The issue has trickled down to affect all areas of the schools, from frenzied dispatchers trying to schedule drivers to fill in gaps, to parents who are worried about the whereabouts of their kids, and drivers who have to double up runs and learn unfamiliar routes.

In the Mukilteo School District, the bus-driver shortage means that on some days, dispatchers, mechanics and office staff members who are trained to drive buses pitch in to transport kids, said Denny Armstrong, manager of transportation for the district.

The district has openings for five substitute bus drivers. That's not as high as some other districts, but it affects Mukilteo just as much because it's smaller.

Next year, the situation for Mukilteo likely will get worse when two more bus drivers retire.

One solution: families

Already, the Edmonds School District has begun a huge driver-recruitment push that will intensify over the summer.

It began sending home fliers with students earlier this year, asking families if they know anyone who's interested in driving.

Historically, the district has found that targeting family members often brings in more drivers. Families have a tie to the schools and sometimes include those looking for part-time work and a way to be involved. Sometimes parents — and retirees — also want flexible work hours.

"We're trying really hard to zero in and get people who really want to work with kids," Clarke said.

The problem is, sometimes the district will spend time and money training bus drivers, only to have them take their driving certificate and move on to a higher-paying job.

That's happened a couple of times in the Edmonds School District, where substitute drivers start at $14.46 an hour.

If school districts considered raising the hourly rates for relief drivers and giving them benefits, they would likely attract more people, Olsen said.

That's something that some districts say they're looking into, but there aren't any plans on the table. The Edmonds School District has a compensation philosophy that essentially says it will walk the line — not paying higher or lower than other, comparable districts.

"It's a big drawback," Olsen said. "Insurance isn't cheap ."

And what if school districts can't find more drivers over the summer?

Students like second-grader Jacob Malinowski will spend more time waiting to get home in the afternoon.

Malinowski is often the last kid on the bus from Lynndale Elementary, staring out the window when he could be at after-school activities.

"Now we can go home?" he asks Olsen.

But he's still not close.

Kirsten Orsini-Meinhard: 425-745-7807 or kmeinhard@seattletimes.com