School bus drivers in short supply

Oconto Falls needs school bus drivers.

Find people to get behind the wheel of the school district’s fleet of yellow buses has been one of the biggest challenges of a challenging new year of social distancing precautions in the COVID-19 era, Superintendent Dean Hess told the school board Sept. 19.

“We are drastically short of bus drivers,” Hess said.

About seven drivers left before the start of the new year, he said. Some had already been contemplating retirement as they grew older, and concerns about the virus tipped the scales.

The district is not alone — Hess said he’s found other districts are having trouble finding and keeping drivers, as well as local private companies that provide transportation for schools.

Information about the positives of serving the community as a school bus driver – and how to apply for a job – have been posted on social media and elsewhere, he said.

Athletic director Jerry Moynihan said he and other coaches are going through the process of obtaining a school bus operator’s license.

The bus-driver shortage is one of several COVID-related topics that were discussed at the Sept. 19 meeting.

• Significant professional development training has been underway as teachers and other staff work on making a smooth transition to the new schedule, Hess said. Classes are being held in person four days a week, with Wednesday devoted to synchronous online learning while school buildings undergo a deep cleaning. The district is also serving about 150 families who opted to have their students in synchronous learning full time.

“It’s an understatement to say people are going above and beyond,” he said, reading part of a letter from a parent who was happy that her daughter “felt like part of the class” using the new remote-learning system.

• About 100 middle school students have been participating in fall sports since the board lifted a suspension on those activities Sept. 2, middle school athletic director Jon Dunks said.

“They’re happy to have some sort of normalcy in their lives.”

Moynihan said some changes generated by the COVID pandemic have been positive, including the first two cross-country meets hosted by Oconto Falls in 11 years.

Others are likely to disappoint people, including limits on spectators. Volleyball games will be limited to two family members per athlete who must be registered ahead of time.

“There will be no charge to get in, but you have to be on our list,” Moynihan said. Junior-varsity team members will not be allowed to stay and watch the varsity play.

Football game attendance will be limited to four per athlete, and they have to sit together at some distance from other groups of four.

Band, cheerleaders, dance teams and large choirs are prohibited. Moynihan said the administration is planning a cheer/dance showcase at ST Paper Stadium on Oct. 1, possibly with another school district participating, and they’re working to find a date for an outside band concert as well.

• The number of positive tests continues to climb among Oconto County residents. Hess said he’d been told the average of new cases in the county had been about four per day at the beginning of August, and the average had climbed to nine a day by mid-September.

The first two weeks of school brought seven cases that required quarantine among staff members and four among students, Hess said. Another 61 students were quarantined because they had been in close contact with people with COVID-19, and 27 were quarantined while awaiting test results.

Quarantined students have the ability to keep up with their classmates via synchronous online learning. Hess said the district is working with Oconto County Public Health and doing the best they can given the circumstances.

“As much as I can understand the frustration, it’s important to note that people are doing everything they can to educate kids, and this is one of the outcomes that’s occurring,” he said.