VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach, Hampton, Portsmouth, and Newport News school divisions are heading into the new school year with school bus driver vacancies.
Virginia Beach is looking to fill 34 school bus driver positions, along with 34 bus assistant positions. Hampton has 14 openings, and Portsmouth is seeking to fill 10.
Newport News has the largest shortage in the region. The school division's executive director of transportation, Shay Coates, said the division is looking for about 70 drivers.
"We've been short for quite a while. Since COVID, we kind of haven't recovered," Coates said.
That number is an improvement from a year ago, when Newport News reported roughly 100 driver vacancies. Still, Coates said filling those positions remains a challenge.
"It was hard to make up after COVID. It's not an easy job. If it was an easy job, everyone would be doing it, because it's a tough job. It's demanding — driving a large piece of equipment with 40-50 kids on the bus," Coates said.
To manage the shortage last year, the division eliminated some stops to make routes more manageable.
"We are short drivers, but we try to tailor our routing so we're picking up more students. [Some] might be on the bus a little bit longer to make up for that," Coates said.
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Newport News employs four staff members dedicated to training new drivers, and Coates said recruiting and hiring continues throughout the year.
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"We do active recruiting. We train all year long," Coates said.
School divisions across the region say they are continuing to recruit and hire drivers as they work to start the school year on time.
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