Brunswick County Schools facing bus driver shortage

BOLIVIA, NC (WWAY) — They’re responsible for getting your child to and from school safely, but some districts are facing a shortage of them.

Some say a school bus driver is one of the most highly scrutinized jobs. As a result, school districts are having a hard time finding drivers.

Brunswick County School District is searching for ways to recruit and retain bus drivers.

They say the issue is federal and state government mandates drivers have to pass several courses to ensure the safety of the students.

At a recent school board meeting, a three dollar pay increase was suggested to help bring in more drivers.

But the district is also looking for more ways to fill these seats.

“Pay height is just one, others will be different things,” Bobby Taylor said. “There are a lot of things you can do to enhance or encourage people to work for Brunswick County Schools. We just have to find and dial in on which one works for us.”

Taylor says that they will be speaking with current and former drivers to find out what needs they want met in order to fix this shortage.

Brunswick County Schools say this isn’t a problem just affecting them; other school districts across the state and country are also facing a shortage.

If you’d like to fill this seat and become a school bus driver in Brunswick County, you can find all the information by clicking here.