Metro Schools Chips Away At Bus Driver Shortage

The Metro Nashville school board has received 60 applications for bus drivers since sounding the alarm about a shortage. But that’s still not enough to fill the 150 vacancies that have resulted in students being stranded on sidewalks for hours in recent weeks.

Chief Operating Officer Fred Carr said he’s expediting the hiring and training process.

“We are trying to get it done in the next three weeks. We are trying to get the busses on time,” Carr said Tuesday night. “It’s a huge impact on instruction.”

Starting this week, Carr is asking retired drivers to get behind the wheel and “substitute” in the places of highest need. The district also paid existing drivers a $300 bonus to keep them happy.

At Tuesday night’s school board meeting, chairwoman Sharon Gentry suggested the district bring in a third party to conduct exit interviews. Currently, a supervisor is the one asking why a driver leaves for another job.

“If we really want honest feedback and we want to use that as input to do something different, we have to create an environment where that employee is free to share their experiences without any fear or hesitation,” she said.

Bus drivers aren’t the only positions the district is struggling to fill. The Metro school board was also briefed on difficulties finding substitute teachers. On any given day, the district needs 500 subs — roughly 10 percent of the teachers citywide.