The Houston school district is chartering plush, television-equipped motor coaches because it doesn’t have enough drivers to keep its fleet of yellow school buses on the road.
Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby said a combination of budget cuts and dislocations caused by Hurricane Harvey has left the district 300 drivers short.
The charter buses come with drivers, and the district is on pace to spend $8 million on the charter buses this year.
Busby said he hopes the district can recoup at least some of the cost through storm-related insurance payments and federal grants. Despite scheduling several job fairs over the summer, he said that may not resolve the problem by next school year.