100 school bus drivers still needed

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2005 | 10:48 a.m.

With the new school year beginning Aug. 29, the Clark County School District will hold a series of community meetings to address transportation questions and concerns. The meetings will be held in each of the district's five regions, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.:

Representatives from the district will be available to register students for bus service and provide route and bus stop information. Students living at least two miles from their school are eligible for transportation. Parents may also register their students by calling 799-8111 or going online to www.ccsd.net/transportation.

Because of the driver shortage, some students at some middle schools will be ferried home in two shifts, with buses doubling back to the campus for a second load. During the last academic year, which also had a shortage of bus drivers, the second group of students had to wait as long as 30 minutes for the bus to return to the school, said Ron Despenza, director of transportation for the district.

The district expects to transport 144,000 students on the first day of school Aug. 29, but so far fewer than 40,000 have registered for service. That's actually an improvement over this time last year when just 20,000 students had signed up for bus service.

"If we could get 60,000 registered before the start of school, I'd be very happy," Despenza said. "A lot of parents take if for granted that if their kid rode the bus last year they don't have to register this year. But there's just too much moving around in Vegas, we have to start from scratch every time."

The district estimates how many students are likely to board the bus at each stop using the prior year's figures as well as the latest information from the district's zoning office, Despenza said. Given the number of new housing developments, it's not unusual for several routes to become unexpectedly crowded, Despenza said.

Parents of students attending magnet schools should also be prepared for some transportation delays for the first weeks of school. It typically takes students that long to become familiar with the process for changing buses at one of the "hub" school sites for the ride home, he said.

"Normally by the fourth or fifth day we have it running pretty smooth, but some of them take a little bit longer," Despenza said.

To be eligible for transportation students must live at least two miles from the school to which they are assigned.

Families are encouraged to call 799-8111 to register for bus transportation. The phone bank will be open today through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. From Aug. 19 through Sept. 9, the phone bank will operate from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. Calling during the early morning or late evening hours will reduce waiting time, Despenza said. Registration may also be done online at www.ccsd.net / transportation.

The School District requires its bus drivers to be at least 21 years of age and complete 47 hours of behind-the-wheel training and 40 hours of classroom instruction. The state requires just 10 hours each of behind-the-wheel and classroom instruction. Pay starts at $13.73 per hour. For information about bus driver vacancies contact the School District Transportation Department at 855-5489.

Metro Police is also looking for at least 40 additional crossing guards for the new school year. Crossing guards are paid about $17 a day for a one-hour shift in the morning and a one-hour shift in the afternoon. For more information about crossing guard opportunities, contact Helen Lawhon at 229-3446.