Every morning, students across District 196 head to school using a variety of transportation: some drive, some walk or bike–but many rely on the school bus. For thousands of students, the bus is the only safe and dependable way to get to school. It’s available for any student and all districts, and it’s been guaranteed to show up. But the district is still struggling with a shortage of bus drivers, leading to delays and, in some cases, canceled routes.
When a route doesn’t have a driver, buses can be delayed or canceled entirely. Some students have been left waiting for up to two hours, and some families who pay $300 a year for transportation have a cause for reasonable anger. So, what even caused the bussing issue in the first place?
According to Hal Goetz, a representative for Service Employees International Union Local 284 (SEIU Local 84), the union that represents the district’s bus drivers, the issue is not a lack of workers overall. Instead, he said it comes down to pay.
“These 262 workers transport and protect kids in the largest in-house school bus fleet in Minnesota,” Goetz said.
Bus drivers across all districts work long hours, starting before sunrise and finishing in the late afternoon, to ensure students arrive at school safely and on time. But according to Goetz, the starting wage for bus drivers in District 1196 is $24.15 an hour. The low pay, combined with strict safety standards and growing responsibilities, has added significant stress for drivers and is contributing to the widening shortage.
However, isn’t the only year the district has faced shortages. Eagan High School Principal Polly Reikowski said the problem grew after students returned from COVID-19 restrictions.
“I think in a way of coming off COVID, which I know feels like a long time ago, but when we first came back to school, and only about half of the kids were here at a time, or I think there were drivers that were driving who decided I don’t feel comfortable doing that now,” Reikowski said.
Concerns about safety and the unknown risks of the virus led many drivers to leave or reduce thier hours due to the uncertainty about the virus’s severity and fatality.
This year, route cancellations remain uncommon, according to Reikowski, “For us, it’s been no more than two a day, and I think we’ve only had one morning bus canceled.” Districtwide, there have been about six days this year when a route was canceled because of the shortage.
To avoid cancellations, the district often asks certified staff members to fill in. “Typically, it’s going to be the people who are in the office and the mechanic shop at the bus garage,” Reikowski said.
But this solution comes at a cost. Goetz said the district has spent “tens of thousands of dollars in overtime to individual mechanics to drive buses and has still had to cancel some routes on short notice.”
Drivers are currently bargaining with the district for better pay. After seven negotiation sessions since May 12, the district’s latest offer is a starting wage of $25.50 an hour for the 2025-2026 school year. Goetz states, “District leaders have said the school board won’t let them put enough money on the table to both make insurance affordable and bring wages in line with nearby districts.”
For now, negotiations continue, and bus drivers will continue to try and work out a plan for thier compensation to prevent this issue from lasting longer than it should.