Wallenpaupack administrators driving school buses as needed amid driver shortage

Wallenpaupack Area School District found a means to help address the nationwide school bus driver shortage: Put its own superintendent, principals and other administrators behind the wheel.

"Finding qualified bus drivers has become an especially challenging task," said William Theobald, director of support services. Along with taking students to and from school, sports teams and other student groups must get to and from their off-campus events, and field trips must be covered.

"Many schools cannot cover all of their transportation needs because there simply are not enough drivers," Theobald said, adding that Wallenpaupack has "been more fortunate than some other school districts in the region that have had to double up routes because there were not enough drivers."

Challenges are experienced at Wallenpaupack, however, when a driver is out sick or needs time off. There are also challenges getting student athletes to sporting events after school.

A plea for more drivers, including substitutes, is ongoing, but in the meanwhile, Wallenpaupack administration came up with a plan. Several administrators recently acquired the credentials to drive a school bus, with additional staff working toward the same goal.

Waiting for opportunities to pitch in as substitute drivers, their first chance came the week of Feb. 6.

"We did our first bit of transporting students this week," Theobald said in an email. "The eighth grade needed to get to the high school for presentations about the CTE (Career and Technical Education) programs and they needed to be there immediately following home room."

To avoid having the middle school students walking with the busy morning traffic, Superintendent Keith Gunuskey, Assistant Superintendent R. Jay Starnes and Theobald did the driving.

"The teachers were very surprised, and the students were appreciative, most saying 'thank you' as they got off," Theobald stated.

“We are rebuilding our transportation system to be more sustainable, and this is one way that we can help our contractors when they are in need," Gunuskey said. "It’s a win-win, especially for our students."

Wallenpaupack Area School District operates 45 daily bus routes, supplied by a group of contractors and their employees. They also supply the majority of the 40 vans needed to transport Wallenpaupack Area students with special needs who cannot ride on a bus. Altogether, these vehicles traverse the 325 square miles of this district, overlapping Wayne and Pike counties, logging an estimated 10,000 miles per day.

On any afternoon, they may need several additional buses to transport teams to area sporting events. Theobald noted that the transportation contractors make every effort to cover their own shortages, but turn to the district when a substitute is unavailable.

"These additional drivers will make it easier to get our students where they need to go," Theobald said.

If a bus is missing from the afternoon lineup, parents are notified that a bus will arrive home late.

Administrators do not expect to drive regularly, but rather be available if they are needed.

"This program has given each of us a renewed sense of pride and respect for our bus drivers and what they do each and every day to safely get our kids to and from school," Theobald stated.

Van drivers have a standard driver's license. Bus drivers must have 14 hours of classes and six hours of one-on-one time behind the wheel with an instructor. There are multiple knowledge tests at the DMV and a driving test. All adults who interact with school-age children must have a series of additional clearances.

Information on school bus driver licensing is available atdmv.pa.gov/Driver-Services/School-Bus-Drivers/Pages/default.aspx.

Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Wallenpaupack administrators filling in to drive school buses