

She didn’t plan to make a career out of driving the school bus, she said, intending to stay with it only a few years. She’s been working for OSD for about three and a half years. Gross is a Royal City native who drove a bus for the Royal School District for 18 years, she said. Individuals who want more information on the job, or to apply, can go to the district’s website, or can contact Shade through the district office, 50.
Othello school district how to#
The training covers how to maintain order as well as how to drive the bus. With 78 students behind you,” Shade said. “Most people are afraid of the bus, but it’s just like driving a car. Some people hesitate because they think driving a bus will be difficult, she said.
Othello school district drivers#
Drivers must pay for some procedures that are part of the background check, Shade said. Training is provided at low cost to prospective drivers.

“You might be the only smile they see that day.” “We want to be the bright part of their day,” Shade said.

The bus drivers don’t always know the children’s daily experiences, at home or at school, she said. You can still purchase your ticket at the gate with cash. Tickets can be purchased in advance on HomeTown Ticketing. Shade, who’s been driving since 1991, said she saw many of the kids on her route grow up from their first days of kindergarten to high school graduation.īus driving requires two characteristics, Shade said. The Othello High School Athletic Department is selling home athletic event tickets online. Over time, the bus drivers get to know the kids on their routes, and the kids come to trust the bus drivers. “The incentive would be getting to work with kids,” Shade said. Shade was attracted to the job because it gave her the chance to be home when her kids were home, she said.Īnd there’s actually a really good incentive to be a bus driver.
Othello school district driver#
He told Shade he would’ve become a bus driver much earlier had he known how much he would enjoy it, she said. She cited the retired police officer who had other part-time jobs before he started driving a school bus. Many people who become school bus drivers tend to stick with it, Shade said. That may discourage some potential drivers, she said. Gross said even though bus driving is five days per week, it’s not an eight-hour job, and drivers work a split shift. Shade said she needs three people by the end of the 2020-21 school year. Just a driver shortage,” Shade said.ĭistrict officials are looking for up to 10 bus drivers. “The problem is a continuing problem, and it has been for years. Marian Shade, the district’s director of transportation, said finding enough bus drivers is a challenge. “Do you know where you’re going?” she said kids have asked her.ĭistrict officials are looking to hire more bus drivers – substitutes as well as those who drive daily. Gross sometimes works as a substitute driver, and the children on the routes can be skeptical of the sub. OTHELLO - Driving a school bus is pretty fun, says Holly Gross, assistant transportation director for the Othello School District.
