Short-Sighted Transportation Mandates Hurt Ohio Public School Students
Source: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/
Ohio’s public school bus drivers play a crucial role in the daily lives of 663,000 students, being the first and last school employees they encounter each day. Beyond ensuring safe transportation, these drivers build relationships with students and help create a positive atmosphere for learning. However, Ohio, like many states, faces a shortage of bus drivers, complicating the task of meeting transportation requirements, including for students attending schools outside their districts.
Ohio’s school bus drivers, including 1,500 represented by the Ohio Education Association, witness the negative impact on students caused by early morning departures and late returns due to state laws mandating transportation for non-public school students. This situation creates logistical challenges and can result in critical transportation funding being withheld from districts that struggle to meet these requirements, particularly in areas like Columbus with over 160 non-district schools. The current mandate adversely affects many public school students, prompting calls for state leaders to take swift action to resolve these issues.
Addressing the shortage of school bus drivers in Ohio requires financial solutions, including adequate funding for school districts to cover the costs of transporting non-public school students. The state must also provide resources to help districts offer incentives for recruiting and retaining bus drivers. Despite some incentives already in place, recruitment and retention remain significant challenges, with a nationwide drop of about 15% in bus drivers compared to pre-pandemic levels. This shortage has led some Ohio districts to cancel school due to insufficient drivers for routes.
The existing state law requiring public school districts to manage transportation for non-public school students has become increasingly problematic due to the new universal voucher system and post-pandemic driver shortages. This has made it nearly impossible for many districts to meet transportation demands. State leaders need to reconsider this law and provide more flexibility for districts. If lawmakers are unwilling to change the system, they could consider becoming school bus drivers themselves, as nearly all districts are currently hiring.
Image Source: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/
