KENNEBUNK, Maine — The summer is over and kids are back in classes around the state. While it's an exciting time for families and teachers, there are still some worries about getting kids to and from school.
The shortage of bus drivers isn't a new problem, and going into this school year, one district made big strides to try to offset it by bumping pay by about 25 percent for drivers. However, they say even that isn't working.
As a school bus driver, Chris Pasciuto knows just how important the job is.
"It is that critical link between home and school," Pasciuto said.
The only thing is, bus driving is not really his job. He's just filling in.
"Because we're short of drivers, I'm doing my job, plus driving a bus right now," Pasciuto said.
Pasciuto is the transportation manager for RSU 21, meaning he is supposed to be in an office, but he has to put aside his other responsibilities and hit the road instead. Right now, the district only has 21 full-time drivers versus the 33 they need.
"People that don't take the job, it'll be sometimes the hours. It's rarely the pay. I think people are pretty attracted to the increase in pay we've had," Pasciuto said.
Ahead of the school year, the hourly pay for drivers went up from around $20 to $25 an hour. Pasciuto said it has helped bring in some new candidates, but not quickly enough.
"That's where we were. We've been there. Our transportation director and assistant director do the same thing. Sometimes we'd have nobody in the office except maybe the secretary because they're all driving. That's been our past," MSAD 6 Superintendent Clay Gleason said, who heads the largest school district in the state.
Gleason calls it the "past" because after bumping pay three years ago, it wasn't until this year that he had enough drivers.
"We stopped losing people because we were losing people to other districts or other industries," Gleason said.
He added he does think pay makes a crucial difference but it takes time to be effective, and there are always other challenges.
"We're all competing against each other for the same labor pool, which is a challenge," Gleason said.
For Pasciuto's district, he said it has some people in training and is also offsetting a separate loss from retirements, so he's hopeful things will pick up soon. Although, it's not so bad where he is.
"I really enjoy my connection and some of the interactions I have with the students," Pasciuto said.
But at the end of the day, it can't be forever.
"Give me a few minutes, I could probably come up with a hundred things I do in a day that are probably getting sidelined right now," Pasciuto added.
Pasciuto isn't the only one filling in right now. He said he also has several substitute teachers driving buses almost full-time to help.
If you are interested in applying, visit the RSU 21 district's careers website here. RSU 21 serves Arundel, Kennebunk, and Kennebunkport.