Worker Shortage Faces Tulsa Schools

Tulsa Public Schools open in just over three weeks, and they have plenty of jobs left to fill. In fact, almost 200 jobs from bus driving to technology are still open. <br><br>Those in charge of hiring

Monday, July 24th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa Public Schools open in just over three weeks, and they have plenty of jobs left to fill. In fact, almost 200 jobs from bus driving to technology are still open.

Those in charge of hiring those open positions blame a dwindling worker market. Transportation director Bob Haddux says that lack of qualified workers plus some downsides of seasonal work have him struggling to find new bus drivers. "A bus driver has to go through a lot of checks just to get behind the wheel, and unfortunately, we're not able to pay 12 months of the year for most of our drivers so it's tough to get the kind of people coming through here in the volume we need," said Haddux.

School bus drivers must be at least 18 with a high school diploma or GED and social security card. Salary starts at 7.43 per hour and rises to 8.20 after a 45 day evaluation. Training and benefits are included.

Transportation isn't the only school support area in need of help. Tulsa Public Schools says its many openings for child nutrition and clerical workers, custodians and information technology specialists are, again, the result of a tight labor market.

The districtâ€™s competitive strength, they say, lies in benefits... including flexible scheduling, and vacation breaks. Still, there's concern about how shortages affect students. "The difficulty we have in filling positions ultimately affects our customer service, but we just do the best we can under the circumstances,â€ said support personnel director Chris Thrutchley.

Go directly to Tulsa Schools Employment Page