TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — One Tampa Bay mom is frustrated to see her son arrive late to school every day, missing the first period.
Louise Brandao’s son’s bus is late every day because of the ongoing bus driver shortage issue.
Districts across the bay area are struggling to fill vacancies. Hillsborough County Public Schools said it needs 173 bus drivers. Brandao’s said her son, Henricky Nascimento’s grades have been affected because of his tardiness.
Staffing shortages have been a daily challenge for school districts.
“I went to the school to speak with the vice principal about it. They told me it’s a huge problem all over the district,” Brandao said.
Nascimento is a sophomore at Plant High School. He had been missing marine science class because of the daily late bus pick-ups, so the district switched his first period to P.E.
“But for the first quarter, his grade was affected. He missed tests and exams and special instructions,” she said.
Nascimento is typically a straight-‘A’ student but ended up with a ‘C’ in marine science. Brandao said the main issue that needs to be addressed:
“The minimum wage salary is too low,” she said.
In a statement to News Channel 8, HCPS said, “The driver in this situation is doing a double run because of the bus driver shortage we continue to experience. While we are actively pursuing new applicants on a daily basis to fill the 173 open positions needed, we understand the frustration felt by parents, students, and staff members due to this national bus driver shortage.
Our transportation team will continue to examine this route, as well as others, for any changes that could help alleviate the issue.
We encourage anyone interested in a career that will make a positive impact on children in our community to visit HillsboroughSchools.org/employment.”
Hillsborough Schools is holding several job fairs this month. including one for transportation. It will be held on Oct. 29.
