The West Central School District is in urgent need of bus drivers. Superintendent Stacey Day reports concerns the district could face in coming years if bus routes are unable to be filled:
“If we could get three or four drivers, that would be really helpful for us. It takes ten in-district routes, we have learned that this year as we have made some changes and are using a routing software to help us. If we could run eleven or even twelve, that would help us shorten some route times and give kids a little more space on the bus, but the concern is really making sure we have ten drivers every day. If we are down one driver, what we have done is we will run a double route; we run a late route in the morning or a late route in the evening. Our parents have been fantastic when we find a driver that is able to do a double route, lots of parents will just come get their kids which will help shorten some of that time, but we ran a route before December that was a double and I didn’t get kids home until after 5:00 and that makes for a really long day for our kids. The concern is what happens if we are down three or four drivers; do you cancel school for the day and take an emergency day or do you just let those couple routes stay home and excuse them for the day and everybody else comes to school, luckily we have not gotten to that point yet.”
Requirements of being a bus driver for the West Central School District include being at least 21 years of age, obtain a valid Illinois driver’s license, take an eight-hour driver course paid for by the district, pass a drug/alcohol test, complete practice hours, and pass the Illinois Behind the Wheel Drivers Test. For more information, call 309-627-2371.
