Whether it’s through firsthand experience or via timely school-wide announcements in the morning, this school year it has become a common occurrence for there to be a late bus. Once morning attendance can finally be recorded, one may notice that the normal teacher is not present, but at the same time, the substitute teacher happens to be another teacher from the same school on their planning period. The reason the substitute teacher is a familiar face is not to maintain continuity, but rather because no substitute teachers are available on short notice. A look into the source behind all these hindrances leads to a few common correlations circulating throughout the entire workforce right now.

On August 23rd, 2021, a few days before the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year on August 26, 2021, Loudoun County Public Schools reported to the Loudoun Times that there were 86 vacancies for bus drivers, which in turn led to 50 unassigned routes. Often anyone who worked for LCPS with a commercial driver’s license were called upon to help fill in. Incentives have been quickly installed, such as a $1,000 sign-on bonus. Many bus driver vacancies did begin to pile up last year during the 2020-2021 school year, as the first semester of the school year was fully online, before only a select number of students returned for hybrid learning in the second half of the year. During the early stages of digital and hybrid learning, there was a concern with a lack of future hours for bus drivers, as well as health concerns from surging COVID-19 cases. The departure of transportation staff last school year is primarily where this year’s vacancies came from.There are a few common tropes of being a bus driver that make it much tougher to find drivers in a job market with an already high turnaround. Some don’t enjoy the idea of working with children, some don’t like the amount of downtime between morning and afternoon bus routes, and many simply don’t feel confident with the level of responsibility that is required behind the wheel of a school bus. Another major point as to why the bus driver shortage is problematic is the time required for the mandatory training of new hires before they can start driving for the school district. While late buses are still present at schools around Loudoun County, the situation has vastly improved as more new bus drivers complete their training.

Almost everyone became aware of the substitute teacher shortage after the addition of two asynchronous days during the first week of November 2021. Similarly to the bus driver shortage, many of the recurring substitute teachers departed during the uncertainty of the fully digital learning period during the pandemic. For many substitute teachers, having to log into a Google Meet or Zoom call and then speak to a bunch of muted mics and closed cameras was emotionally draining. As the routine of in-person school has regained a bit of normalcy, the lack of substitute teachers remains, as quite simply, there is currently a plethora of part time jobs available. The hours are a lot more clear and the day-to-day tasks are a bit more routine when working a part-time job in retail or food service. Like the bus driver shortage, Loudoun County Public Schools has begun offering incentives to help combat their current staffing issues with substitute teachers, as well as bonuses to make sure they stay. The new incentive system that has been implemented boosts substitute pay on high volume days, as well as increases pay the longer substitutes stay with Loudoun County. Not many other specific statistics have been released by the county on the current status of the substitute teacher shortage, but when speaking to students on their more recent substitute teacher experiences, it does seem that the situation is already improving. 

There really aren’t any clear indicators on when the nationwide school staffing issues will cease to exist, as frankly, even other sectors of work are also struggling to find employees. School districts, especially Loudoun County, are ramping up efforts, mainly through incentives, to alleviate the staffing issues as the school gets deeper and deeper into the thick of it. During the fourth quarter of the school year, the last thing the school district wants is for students to be late to important classes and tests. Loudoun County is a very affluent county, and even they’re having a difficult time with staffing. Counties in more impoverished areas are struggling even more to find any kinds of teachers and school workers in the current workforce situation.

 

written by Sulayman Haq

photograph provided by Rajat Chandragiri (MATA Computer Integrated Engineering and Design)

edited by Saanvi Gutta and Tryphena Pilli

 

References:

Alas, H. (2021, September 9). Facing bus driver shortage, Loudoun County public schools ramps up recruitment efforts. LoudounTimes.com. Retrieved November 22, 2021, from https://www.loudountimes.com/news/facing-bus-driver-shortage-loudoun-county-public-schools-ramps-up-recruitment-efforts/article_bd422610-043c-11ec-b14d-33281197fe4a.html. 

Bour, H. M. (2021, October 19). New bus drivers coming through training pipeline, more needed. Loudoun Now. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://loudounnow.com/2021/10/19/new-bus-drivers-coming-through-training-pipeline-more-needed/. 

Bour, H. M. (2021, November 1). Loudoun Schools Launch Loyalty Program to Assuage Substitute Shortage. Loudoun Now. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://loudounnow.com/2021/11/01/loudoun-schools-launch-loyalty-program-to-assuage-substitute-shortage/. 

 Volou, K. (2021, November 1). LCPS: Students return to Virtual Learning Nov. 3 & Nov. 5 due to staffing shortages. wusa9.com. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/virginia/lcps-virtual-learning-due-to-staffing-shortages/65-07058f91-d429-4c2c-8273-ef71f0da5b04. 

Reilly, K. (2021, November 22). Schools are struggling with a substitute teacher shortage. Time. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://time.com/6121336/substitute-teacher-shortage-pandemic/.