The labor shortage is still affecting school district's nationwide, including the Washoe County School District (WCSD).
"We know this is not just relegated to Washoe County, this is a national issue on staffing shortages, " said the school district's superintendent, Dr. Kristen McNeill. "So to get the word out, we are hiring. We have a lot of positions."
WCSD doesn't appear to be making progress on fill open positions.
Click here to read about WCSD staffing and COVID-19.
For bus drivers, the need is growing. According to a 2 News report, before the school year started school district officials said they were looking to fill 52 positions. WSCD provided and updated saying it needs 58 bus drivers as of Monday, October 26.
Until the need is met, current staff members are working overtime, including supervisors and managers.
Scott Lee, the school district's director of transportation said, "Right now, we are still able to complete all of our routes. It's difficult because our support staff, they're taxed because they have to do their regular job on top of driving a bus. Sometimes morning and afternoons as well. So it's difficult."
School district officials say filling the need could alleviate the workload for current staff members, especially as winter approaches. 2 News asked how shortages could further affect routes in the winter time. The superintendent provided the following as a response:
"Our transportation department is doing the very very best they can. Obviously the goal is to make sure the buses are on time."
According to school district officials, the colder months are typically challenging as it is a busy time of year for the transportation department. In the event of extreme conditions, staff could start work as early as 2:30 a.m.
"We'll send our transportation crew out in vehicles to patrol the areas, look to make sure schools had snow clearing, that the roads are clear, identify icy areas, then we may make the decision to either close school or have a two hour delay." said Lee.
Winter bus routes would be utilized if there are weather delays. Click here for more information.
To learn more about current job openings with WCSD click here.
