MORGAN COUNTY, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) — Morgan County Schools is taking an uncommon step to combat a bus driver shortage that has disrupted transportation during the opening week of the school year.
The Morgan County Board of Education recently approved a measure allowing principals and other administrators who hold commercial driver’s licenses to drive school bus routes in an effort to fill staffing gaps.
Director of Schools Jamie Pemberton said the district currently has three to four vacant bus driver positions, creating challenges for student transportation across the county.
“That’s not something we’ve normally been doing, but in this situation, we’re at the point that we’re looking at all options to try to help solve this problem,” Pemberton said.
Drivers Running Double Routes
To keep students moving to and from school, existing drivers have been operating double routes. Under that system, drivers transport one group of students, return, and then pick up another group before heading back to campus.
Pemberton said the board’s decision to allow qualified administrators to drive buses has already provided some relief.
One of those administrators is the principal of Coalfield School, who has stepped in to operate a route. According to Pemberton, several school administrators previously drove buses while working as teachers and have maintained their bus endorsements.
Student Taken to Wrong School
The transportation challenges contributed to at least one incident this week.
Pemberton confirmed that a student was mistakenly dropped off at Coalfield School instead of Wartburg Elementary School. School officials quickly identified the mistake and transported the student to the correct campus.
He said some route stops were also missed as drivers adjusted to revised transportation schedules and routes at the beginning of the school year.
Parents Feeling the Strain
Some families say the shortage has created significant hardships.
Alexa Brandstetter, who lives in the Deer Lodge and Chester Ridge area, said families were notified approximately a week before classes began that bus service would not be available for their area.
“We was informed probably a week before school started this year that there wouldn’t be a route at all for the Deer Lodge-Chester Ridge area,” Brandstetter said.
Brandstetter said she works in Knoxville and must report to work by 5 a.m., making it difficult to transport her children to school each day. As a single-vehicle household, she says the lack of bus service places additional stress on her family.
She also noted that bus service was unreliable last school year, with substitute drivers frequently unavailable.
According to Brandstetter, some families in the area do not currently have access to working vehicles, making school transportation essential.
Hiring Challenges Continue
Pemberton said recruiting and training new drivers remains a difficult process.
In addition to being a part-time position, school bus drivers must obtain a commercial driver’s license and complete specialized training requirements. The certification process can take between two and three months before a new hire is eligible to drive a route.
“It’s not an easy fix,” Pemberton said. “Even if we hire somebody today that doesn’t have the credentials, you’re looking at two to three months on training.”
District leaders say they will continue utilizing teachers and administrators with bus endorsements while actively recruiting more drivers to restore full transportation service for students across Morgan County.
