GOLDEN, Colo. — Jefferson County Public Schools start classes next week but like many school districts, they are continuing to deal with a bus driver shortage.
Jeffco said major staffing shortages led them to cancel 29 bus routes last school year. Last year's cancellations impacted students that attended the school district's Options Schools.
It forced parent Rhonda Harguth to change her schedule to make sure her son had a ride home from school.
"Thankfully my bosses are very understanding and I know a lot of parents don't have that, so to be able to worry about how your kid is going to get to school or the special programs that they do offer, it just stinks," Harguth said. "It's hard to think about not giving your kid every opportunity."
Greg Jackson, Jeffco's executive director of transportation, told 9NEWS a few weeks ago they were still hiring. He said they usually have about 370 drivers on staff but this year they'd be starting with roughly 229 drivers.
"We will potentially have to cancel routes at the start of school year," Jackson said in July. "For the route demand that we have, we will not have enough drivers to be able to sustain for the coverage of all those routes."
That is a big reason Harguth's son decided to not continue his vocational program at an Option school. She just hopes her son's class is the last one impacted by this and the district gets the bus drivers they desperately need.
"I mean it’s not an easy job and I wouldn’t’ want to do it," Harguth said. "But I’m glad there are people that are willing to do it, especially for what they’re paying them."
In a previous interview, Jeffco said starting pay is a major issue. Jackson said private sector employers like Amazon and Safeway and even airport shuttles pay $10 to $15 dollars more than what Jeffco is paying them at a starting rate.
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