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LARAMIE (WNE) — A shortage of bus drivers in Albany County School District No. 1 schools has forced administrators to drive bus routes this school year.
The district had a dozen open …
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LARAMIE (WNE) — A shortage of bus drivers in Albany County School District No. 1 schools has forced administrators to drive bus routes this school year.
The district had a dozen open driver positions as of last week, ACSD No. 1 Business Manager Ed Goetz said. The shortage has meant that the district’s operations director, transportation manager and mechanics have all been driving buses this year.
“It’s really been impacting the transportation department pretty heavily,” Goetz said.
He said it’s been difficult to recruit bus drivers because they’re only allowed to work 3-4 hours per day so they’re ineligible for benefits.
Hoping to make the job more competitive, the school board voted to allow 12 drivers to work five hours a day — which would meet the minimum 25-hour work week a district employee needs to qualify for benefits.
The district recently increased drivers’ starting pay to $15.56 per hour.
