Tulsa Public Schools Needs More Bus Drivers

There's a shortage of bus drivers at Tulsa Public Schools, but a continuing effort to get more drivers on board, with better pay than last year. <br/><br/>News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan says Lorina

Monday, August 7th 2006, 3:26 pm

By: News On 6

There's a shortage of bus drivers at Tulsa Public Schools, but a continuing effort to get more drivers on board, with better pay than last year.

News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan says Lorina Stillwell is a returning driver going through a refresher course. She's eager to get back on board. "I enjoy the kids and the people I work with out here."

It's a job she recommends, but as usual, Tulsa Public Schools needs more drivers than it can find. Driver supervisor Ottway Burkhalter: "It's always kind of down to the wire. If you train people too early and can't put them to work, you'll essentially trained them for someone else."

New drivers train for 54 hours in the classroom and behind the wheel. Most of the trainees have never driven a bus, but Stillwell says it's not hard to learn. "They teach you how to allow room to turn the bus. They're really patient and they teach you how to turn the bus and stuff."

TPS is short 50 drivers with only a few weeks to go before school. If they can't find enough - they'll use clerical staff and mechanics to cover routes, but with enough time left for training, they still hope to fill out their staff of 325 drivers. Driver trainer Donnel Young: "We're just now getting busy because school is about the begin and we need drivers."

Some Tulsa suburban school districts still pay more than Tulsa Public Schools, but at Tulsa Public Schools, the pay has been increased to $10 an hour and in Tulsa Public Schools, each driver is guaranteed at least five hours of work a day.

The drivers say having cameras on board has helped discipline and having plenty of training makes them confident behind the wheel. The question is if there will be enough people in the driverâ€™s seat - when school starts.

Many of the drivers are housewives and retirees. If you would like to find out more, call Tulsa Public Schools at 833-8182.