PARIS — Midway through the school year, Maine School Administrative District 17 is still struggling with staffing bus drivers, according to Transportation Director Chuck Beardsley.
Beardsley told directors Monday that he wants the community to know that SAD 17 will pay for new drivers to receive state training and licensing.
“It continues to be my major concern,” Beardsley said during his presentation. “It’s my biggest headache on a daily basis.
Beardsley said he has just enough drivers to maintain all regular bus routes except one in Paris, which is currently being outsourced.
“It’s a real struggle and I know parents and students in every town have been affected at some point,” he said.
Beardsley asked for the board’s assistance in getting the word out that bus driver training is paid for by the district. Superintendent Heather Manchester said transportation jobs with training are being posted on social media and the district website.
Beardsley said that in Regional School Unit 10 based in Rumford custodians can also drive bus routes, a solution he would like SAD 17 to consider adopting.
Incorporating technology is another way to improve work efficiencies for transportation staff. By the end of the school year he expects to install GPS programming on tablets that will assist new and substitute drivers navigate routes and alert them of students stops.
He is also adding automated maintenance, which will aggregate repair scheduling and records while eliminating paperwork and filing.
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