Fulton Public Schools has bus routes covered ahead of school year

FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ)

A spokesperson for Fulton Public Schools says while the district has its routes covered, there are still driver positions available.

Amanda Miles with FPS said the district has open positions for aides, sub-drivers and trip driver positions. She did not share the number of positions still available.

She said if the district doesn't have enough drivers to cover all of its routes and trips, FPS might have to postpone trips until after routes are completed or combine routes.

This comes as many schools continue to deal with a bus driver shortage after the COVID-19 pandemic. A report from the National Education Association said there were around 192,400 bus drivers in K-12 schools nationwide in September 2023. That number is down 15.1% from 2019.

Miles said qualifications to drive a school bus include a Class B CDL with a school bus and passenger endorsement.

ABC 17 News will be speaking with the Jefferson City School District on Wednesday to discuss the status of their bus drivers.

A Columbia Public Schools spokesperson did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Check back for updates.