Until then, the shortage will continue - but it's not a shortage of drivers, it's a shortage of adequate state public-education funding.ĭr. The only way our schools can compete for bus drivers or other employees with other industries that might have raised wages to meet the current need, including trucking, is if the principal financer (i.e., states) provides additional funds. Raising state revenue (because, spoiler alert, taxes pay for necessary services) can bolster student transportation programs and alleviate strain on the rest of the school. School districts have had to borrow from other educational programs for years to cover transportation costs, and it is beyond time to adequately fund education through increased state investment. It often indicates a user profile.Īs for how states can pay for all of this, the answer is much simpler. “Type S” school buses are those that weigh more than 3,000 pounds, but are designed to carry no more than nine passengers, not including the driver.Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. The bill also requires a 90 day suspension if a driver is convicted of three or more motor vehicle moving violations in a three-year period, or accumulates six or more motor vehicle penalty points while operating a commercial motor vehicle or non-commercial motor vehicle. A suspension would not be lifted until the drivers completed a 10-hour refresher course. The bill also provides that the Type S driver who is found to have left a pupil on a bus at the end of the route, is to be suspended for six months for a first offense or permanently revoked for a second offense. A person who operates a Type S vehicle while their license is suspended or revoked would be guilty of an indictable offense – New Jersey’s terminology for a felony. ![]() The bill, as voted upon last week in committee, includes a number of safety measures and potential penalties for “Type S” drivers who do not possess CDLs. Gopal chairs the state senate’s education committee. “Having more applicants qualify on the S level certification will help us meet the need that has become evident based on conversations with school officials and parents.” Vin Gopal said in a statement when he introduced the bill. “Although, the bus driver shortage is not as high as it was during the peak of the Covid -9 pandemic, school districts are still finding it hard to find drivers,” state Sen. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the national labor crisis has sent salaries for drivers with CDLs soaring, with many school bus drivers favoring higher-paying districts and private busing companies, or operating vehicles other than school buses. The board unanimously endorsed the bill, suggesting it would help attract drivers. The Assembly version of the bill was released from its committee last week. ![]() The pair of bills that would authorize “Type S” drivers to forego the CDL, S-3203 and A-4835, were both introduced last year and both have been approved by their respective committees to be sent to the full bodies for a vote. When it is finalized, if some of my concerns are not met, I will not be voting for it in its present state.” “I want to discuss this assembly bill with some of the co-sponsors who are for it. “I am not voting for it at this moment,” Catalano told board members. State Assemblyman John Catalano (R-Ocean), who is currently running for Brick Township mayor, attended last week’s school board meeting and said he had concerns about the bill and would not support it in its current form, however he did not elaborate.
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