Starmount students exit the bus to return to class in 2021. A shortage of bus drivers is affecting bus schedules this year, school leaders said. (Material photo: August 2021)
With the new school year just around the corner, there will be changes in student travel times due to a shortage of bus drivers.
Students at Yadkin Early College will return to class on August 15th. The rest of Yadkin’s school will reopen on his Aug. 29, though the school’s start and end times have yet to be finalized.
“This year we will be implementing a phased bus route schedule,” explains Yadkin Superintendent Todd Martin. “This means that many of our buses run the elementary school route and then the middle school and high school route. We are doing this because we simply don’t have enough drivers and have no other choice.”
“If school started today, we would be 10 drivers short,” Martin said on Tuesday. “We had bus class last month, but only one person who was going to drive to Yadkin got class. and are having trouble finding anyone willing to go through the process of getting the proper license to drive a school bus.”
Elementary school starts around 7:30 am, and middle and high school will likely start around 8:40 am, Martin said.
“The exact time has not yet been determined as the bus route has not been finalized. However, our transportation staff are working hard to determine the bus route. We will contact parents about start and end times,” he said.
Local churches are doing everything they can to support teachers as they prepare to reopen schools. Yadkinville United Methodist Church collects donations for wish list items from many local teachers.
Martin said he appreciates the teachers and the work they do.
“Educators across our state and Yadkin in this country have purchased school supplies for their students. At Yadkin, we always allocate resources to teachers and schools so that teachers can use their own money to buy supplies. At the same time, our teachers are dedicated to their students and want to make sure they have everything they need. I am grateful that each school has teachers who are willing to spend their money on the school,” Martin said.
To view teacher wishlists, visit yadkinvilleumc.org/teacher-wishlists.
