INDIANAPOLIS — Washington Township schools have experienced extreme shortages in bus drivers to start the school year.
Tuesday, Superintendent Dr. Nikki Woodson sent a video to parents attempting to explain the shortages and Wednesday before school a note was sent to parents that a third of the township’s bus drivers called in and would be absent for work that day.
The township said it is working through these problems, but parents who depend on bus travel for their children are left frustrated.
“We’re trying to get our kids to school to get an education, but we’re also trying to keep our jobs," said Shaunte Barnes. “I have identical twin boys. They are in sixth grade, they attend West Lane Middle School.”
Barnes’ sons usually take the bus.
“This is not the type of situation we want to be in, because when the transportation is unpredictable, it impacts us as parents and impacts our jobs," she said.
“As a district, this is not how we wanted to begin the school year and certainly not indicative of the service that we want to offer our families," Woodson said in the video Tuesday. “Adding to these complexities we are currently experiencing, we have a high number of bus driver absences on certain days, which have impacted the entire system."
She said the township's transportation department has 18 bus driver positions open.
“Unfortunately, even after record high raises the past two years after incentive packages being offered after covering all training fees, after competitive wages and loyalty stipends, we are still unable to fill these positions," said Woodson.
“I’m just hoping to see the district find out what the problem is and clearly find a solution to the problem because if you can’t retain the people you have, you’re not going to recruit any more people to drive a school bus," said Barnes.
Washington Township Schools released a statement Wednesday with responses to some frequently asked questions about the busing situation.