POLSON — The message from the Polson School District is, "it's for the students."
Like many districts, Polson is struggling to find bus drivers and now has sent out a plea for help. The district driver pool is down 30% and they don't have enough drivers for sporting events and other activities.
Transportation Director Mike Anderson also says the district has barely enough drivers to get students to school -- and if drivers get sick, they are really in a bind.
To attract drivers, a substitute incentive program is being implemented, paying quarterly bonuses of $100 for working ten days, $200 for 20 days, and $300 for working 30 days.
Anderson noted that this year the district’s driver shortfall seems severe.
“We simply do not have enough activity drivers to bus our students to sporting events and other activities. We barely have enough drivers to get our students to school. And if drivers get sick, we don’t have substitutes to cover them,” said Anderson.
With an influx of people moving into the area, the applicant pool should increase, reducing the driver shortage. “For our student’s sake, I sincerely hope that more candidates show interest in our open bus driver positions,” Boen said.
Contact Boen at 406.883.6355 ext. 603 for more information.
