EDUCATION
2023 EDUCATION EDITION
Amid driver shortage, DSISD begins year with reduced bus service
BUS SERVICE BY DRIPPING SPRINGS NEIGHBORHOOD The 2023-24 school year began with the following partial service and no service zones for speci c neighborhoods. These are subject to change based on sta ng, which will continue throughout the school year, Director of Transportation Pam Swanks said. No service zones: Estates at Sawyer Ranch for Cypress Springs Elementary Founder’s Ridge, Harrison Hills, Legacy Trails for Dripping Springs Elementary
BY ELLE BENT
$16 per hour for bus monitors. The initial starting pay in 2022-23 was $21.50 an hour for drivers and $15 for monitors. Gary Blackman, a driver who has been with the district for 10 years, said that the pay increase is positive for both the drivers and the commu- nity, especially those drivers who live outside of Dripping Springs and commute longer distances. “[Drivers] who were leaving because it wasn’t enough money might be willing to stay and so might people who were on the verge of retirement,” Blackman said. “So it’s a very positive thing for us. But again, if we can get more drivers in the community, these poor people will have their kids taken to school.” Since May, the transportation department has been actively recruiting new drivers, and Swanks said the pay increase has been helpful to recruit and retain drivers. “In this transportation crisis we’re o ering an extremely competitive wage for bus drivers in an e ort to bring people into that workforce for us,” DSISD board member Rob McClelland said. What to expect : Cogburn said bus service changes include imple- menting hub stops, or placing more students at one stop rather than curbside pickups, as well as partial service that only o ers pickup in either the morning or the afternoons. The further a student is to
Parents of Dripping Springs ISD students are experiencing changes to bus services due to a shortage of drivers in the district at the start of the 2023-24 school year. A fully sta ed team would consist of 53 bus drivers. DSISD ended the 2022-23 school year with 33 drivers. At the start of the 2023-24 school year, four new drivers began routes and three team members were in training. Director of Transportation, Pam Swanks, said that the depart- ment is hopeful with new applicant activity. As of Aug. 17, the depart- ment faced a vacancy rate of 30%. The shortage comes amid a district facing rapid growth and three campuses overcapacity. Dripping Springs Elementary, Walnut Springs Elementary and Sycamore Springs Middle have experienced up to 14.4% growth over the past school year, Superintendent Holly Mor- ris-Kuentz said. “The best solution and the most sustainable solution is that we’re able to get more people in the community to come and serve in this role,” Swanks said. A new strategy : The DSISD board of trustees passed the 2023-24 scal year budget on June 26, with 61% of the budget dedicated to payroll and pay increases. The $122.8 million budget included a 3% pay increase for all sta , including a new starting pay of $30 per hour for bus drivers and
Arrowhead for Walnut Springs Elementary Highpointe for Sycamore Springs Elementary
Partial service zones: Rim Rock ⅔ (AM only), Rim Rock 1 (PM only) for Cypress Springs Elementary Big Sky (AM), Springlake (AM), Texas Heritage (AM) for Dripping Springs Elementary Meadow Creek (AM), Vistas at Sawyer Ranch (AM) for Sycamore Springs Elementary Belterra, Estates at Sawyer Ranch, Highpointe, Ledgestone, Heritage Oaks, Polo Club, Vistas at Sawyer Ranch and Meadow Creek as well as all of Nutty Brown for Sycamore Springs Middle School Arrowhead, Bunker Ranch, Big Sky, Butler Ranch, Caliterra, Founder’s Ridge, Gardens of Howard Ranch, Harrison Hills, Legacy Trails, Meadow Oaks, Springlake, Texas Heritage for Dripping Springs Middle School and Dripping Springs High School
INFORMATION UPDATED AS OF AUG. 17
SOURCE: DRIPPING SPRINGS ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
What’s next: Parents can expect services to become less limited as more drivers are hired and become certi ed throughout the year. On average, it takes about 13 weeks to train a new bus driver. A driver does not need prior experi- ence to apply and will be trained by the district to receive their commer- cial driver’s license, Swanks said. “The cooperation among the bus drivers is really good,” Blackman said. “It’s a friendly culture and a great group.”
campus, the more likely they’ll receive bus transportation this year until further notice, said Cogburn. Areas that do not receive ser- vice, or no service zones, can be reinstated with either partial or full service when sta ng increases. This can change at any time, Swanks said. “The impact is more parents having to take their kids to school and pick them up,” Cogburn said. “That puts more cars on the road, which exacerbates tra c problems in our area.”
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SOUTHWEST AUSTIN DRIPPING SPRINGS EDITION • AUGUST 2023
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