Transportation

Students board buses at Frances Slocum Elementary School in Marion, Ind., after classes on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. Marion Community Schools is looking for more bus drivers.
Students board buses at Frances Slocum Elementary School in Marion, Ind., where the school district has struggled to fill open positions for bus drivers—part of the larger wave of staffing shortages in schools.
Jeff Morehead/The Chronicle-Tribune via AP
Recruitment & Retention How School Staffing Shortages Are Hurting Students
Essential nonteaching school employees are in high demand, and when their positions go unfilled, high-need students suffer most.
Mark Lieberman, June 15, 2022
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11 min read
A bus full of meals drives down a road as Chattahoochee County schools provides meals for their students for the last time before summer break on Thursday, May 7, 2020, in Cusseta, Ga.
Bus drivers provide the start and end to many students' school days—playing a critical role in learning. But with relatively low pay and challenging working conditions, veteran drivers are leaving for other jobs and districts are struggling to fill open positions with new ones.
Brynn Anderson/AP
Recruitment & Retention 'It's Hard to See the Perks': Schools Face Tough Sell in Filling Key Jobs
Bus drivers and other K-12 workers say they are underpaid for the difficult jobs they do to keep schools running.
Mark Lieberman, June 15, 2022
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6 min read
A school bus is reflected in a bus mirror.
FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel announced a proposal on May 11 that would allow the use of federal E-rate funding for Wi-Fi in school buses.
Eric Gay/AP
Ed-Tech Policy Wi-Fi on School Buses: Smart Move or Stupidest Idea Ever?
An FCC proposal to use E-Rate funding to put Wi-Fi on school buses prompted strong reactions on social media.
Lauraine Langreo, May 18, 2022
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3 min read
A Brownsville Independent School District bus acts as a Wi-Fi hotspot for students needing to connect online for distance learning at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year in the Texas school system.
A Brownsville Independent School District bus acts as a WI-FI hotspot for students needing to connect online for distance learning on the first day of class Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in the parking lot of the Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center in Brownsville, Texas. The bus is one of 20 hotspots throughout the city to help students have access to their online classes as part of the remote start to the school year due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald via AP
IT Infrastructure & Management Internet on School Buses: FCC Eyes E-Rate Change to Expand Access
FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel announced a proposal that would allow the use of federal E-rate funding for Wi-Fi in school buses.
Lauraine Langreo, May 12, 2022
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2 min read
Composite of photo of gas prices and bar chart showing an upward arrow with an illustration of a gas pump.
Gina Tomko/Education Week and Getty
Budget & Finance Some Surprising Things Schools Might Have to Cut Because of Fuel Cost Increases
A spike in transportation and delivery costs is forcing some administrators to cut classroom spending and increase school lunch prices.
Mark Lieberman, April 13, 2022
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4 min read
Buses parked covered with snow
iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance How Skyrocketing Fuel Prices Are Hurting Schools
Districts are facing the possibility of budget cuts and contractor departures as the cost of transporting children to school hits new peaks.
Mark Lieberman, March 17, 2022
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7 min read
Illustration of hands reaching for dollar signs that are falling from the sky.
DigitalVision/Vectors/Getty
Recruitment & Retention Districts Are Raising Wages to Fix Shortages. Is It Sustainable?
Staff shortages have pushed districts to increase pay. But some might have to cut programs or staff to make higher wages permanent.
Mark Lieberman, February 7, 2022
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11 min read
Students catch their bus near Ambridge Area Senior High School on the first day of Pennsylvania's mask mandate for K-12 schools and day care centers on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021, in Ambridge, Pa.
Students catch their bus near Ambridge Area Senior High School in Ambridge, Pa., earlier this year on the first day of Pennsylvania's mask mandate for K-12 schools.
Andrew Rush/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Education Funding Here's How Schools Can Use Federal COVID Aid to Solve Bus Driver and Other Transportation Woes
The Education Department outlines districts' options for using relief money to solve nationwide problems in getting kids to and from school.
Andrew Ujifusa, November 15, 2021
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2 min read
Members of the Vermont Army National Guard help direct traffic through the food distribution site at the Brattleboro Union High School, in Brattleboro, Vt., on Thursday, June 11, 2020.
A Vermont National Guard member directs traffic for a food distribution site at a high school in Brattleboro, Vt. In some states, concerns over costs, liabilities, and resources are preventing school districts from getting Guard help for bus transportation and COVID testing.
Kristopher Radder/Brattleboro Reformer via AP
School & District Management Are Bus Driver Shortages So Bad They Require the National Guard? Why Leaders Made the Call
Schools in nearly a dozen states are calling for the Guard to fill bus driver gaps—but logistics, optics, and funding are in the way.
Mark Lieberman, November 4, 2021
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5 min read
A sign advertises for school bus drivers outside Norris Middle School in Omaha, Neb., on July 29, 2020.
A sign advertises for school bus drivers outside Norris Middle School in Omaha, Neb., on July 29, 2020.
Nati Harnik/AP
Recruitment & Retention Video What’s Behind the School Staffing Shortages – And What Districts Can Do To Address Them
Schools are experiencing a staffing shortage across a range of classified and low-wage positions. A look at the causes, and some solutions.
Jaclyn Borowski & Mark Lieberman, September 23, 2021
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4:03
A sign advertises for school bus drivers outside Norris Middle School in Omaha, Neb., on July 29, 2020.
A sign advertises for school bus drivers outside Norris Middle School in Omaha, Neb., on July 29, 2020.
Nati Harnik/AP
Recruitment & Retention No Bus Drivers, Custodians, or Subs. What's Really Behind Schools' Staffing Shortages?
Dismal pay, certification requirements, and longstanding disrespect are causing many classified workers to quit.
Mark Lieberman, September 20, 2021
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10 min read
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Pratya Vuttapanit/iStock/Getty
Education Funding School Infrastructure Funding in Flux as Senators Advance Package Funding Electric Buses
Groups are warning school infrastructure could get shortchanged as Democrats negotiate a sweeping $3.5 trillion budget deal.
Andrew Ujifusa, July 29, 2021
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5 min read
Elementary school students sit on board a school bus after attending in-person classes at school in Wheeling, Ill., on Nov. 19, 2020. Keeping masks on and windows open can reduce the risk of COVID-19, even when students cannot keep distant, new research suggests.
Elementary school students wearing masks sit on board a school bus after attending in-person classes in Wheeling, Ill., last November.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement What the Research Says Here's One Way to Keep School Buses Safe During the Pandemic
With nearly all students expected to return to campus in the fall, districts will face big challenges transporting large groups safely.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 26, 2021
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2 min read
Rycc Smith welcomes Montello Elementary School students as they board his bus outside the Lewiston, Maine school after the first day back in nearly a month on Jan. 21, 2021. The entire school district switched to all remote learning after an uptick in COVID-19 cases last month.
Bus driver Rycc Smith welcomes Montello Elementary School students as they board his bus in Lewiston, Maine, in January on their first day back to school after a month of remote learning.
Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP
School & District Management Bus Driver Shortages Worsening for Many Districts as Schools Reopen
A perennial problem gets worse as districts across the country struggle to find enough drivers to get all their students back to school.
Dalia Faheid, May 19, 2021
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6 min read
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