Many Camas High School (CHS) students rely on the bus to get to and from school. Since they do not have cars or parents to pick them up, they depend on the buses to promptly bring them home to continue their schoolwork or extracurricular activities after school. However, after budget cuts following the settlement plan between Camas School District (CSD) and Camas Education Association (CEA), there is a significant shortage of drivers to take students to and from school.
The transportation department for CSD has a variety of challenges beginning the 2023-2024 school year. CHS now deals with routing issues, buses constantly arriving late to stops, longer drives, and a shortage of drivers.
These issues have caused some students to worry over how much time they have to complete homework.
“[Stress] is higher this year because it is a struggle to get work done,” CHS sophomore Yahali Lawson said.
Many students are feeling this pressure, but it is not only schoolwork they worry about missing.
“People I know in sports right now have been late to practices, or they’ve had to change their schedules because of the bus routes,” CHS junior Ella Schmidt said.
On top of that, the transportation department has been struggling with a shortage of bus drivers in the last few years. This impacts the students and adds an overabundance of passengers on the current bus drivers.
The primary reason for the shortages may be that the state government makes earning a bus driver’s license difficult.
“You have to memorize every single thing in this class, inside and out,” bus driver Kendra Tyler said, “the nice thing about Camas is that they pay for [the test]. So, it does not come out of your pocket, but it is really hard to pass the test.”
Despite CSD helping the trainee bus drivers financially, getting potential applicants interested is still very difficult. Unfortunately, there is not much the district can do to alter the current exam for higher passage rates.
Assistant Director of District Facilities Laura Nowland, who has been running the transportation department since the director position was cut due to budget cuts last spring, said, “The requirements are mandated by state and federal guidelines, which we cannot change.”
While this unfortunate situation has frustrated many students and bus drivers, very little change can happen; therefore, the students and bus drivers must prepare to adapt to the long ride home.