"We're In A Crisis" - Bus Driver Shortage Strikes Nantucket Public Schools

A school bus driver shortage has created a "crisis" for the Nantucket Public Schools with three weeks of classes remaining before the summer break.

After several unexpected departures among the district's existing bus drivers, students are having to wait at the schools for the only remaining "big bus" driver to return and pick them up, sometimes getting home more than an hour after the final bell. The Madaket route has been canceled entirely, and the school has told families that "we encourage middle school and high school students to be picked up." Superintendent Beth Hallett and her administrative team are scrambling for solutions, but there are few answers at the moment.

"We are at a crisis, to be honest with you," Hallett told the Current this week. "We're in a crisis. We are incredibly lucky that the one bus driver that we have is doing everything to support us. She's doing double runs. She is doing everything that she can to make sure our kids are brought to and from school safely, and we have the special education bus driver who is also working very hard."

The Nantucket Public Schools contracts with the Cape Cod Collaborative to provide busing services for island students, so the off-island educational nonprofit organization is responsible for recruiting, hiring, and retaining drivers.

"We have a great relationship with Cape Cod Collaborative, but they have such a bus driver shortage across the Cape and Islands that they can't provide us with what we need, and they have been very clear about - they are not able to fulfill their contractual obligations with us," Hallett said. "So that's been a challenge, because we have asked over and over again, please make this happen, and they can't. They don't have anyone to provide to us. So we have discussed with them the possibilities of looking for different transportation solutions, and not contracting with them in the future, but that's still up in the air."

The school district is now exploring whether to pay Cape Cod Collaborative in full, given that it has not fulfilled its obligations under its existing contract with Nantucket Public Schools.

Bus driver shortages have plagued Nantucket and other school districts since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, with similar incidents occurring on the island in 2022 and 2023. The current situation has been particularly challenging after one driver resigned early to move to North Carolina with her family on May 14. Then, the Cape Cod Collaborative informed the school that another bus driver resigned shortly thereafter, Hallett said.

"The most substantial impacts have been on the middle school and high school students," said Mellisa Devitt, the assistant superintendent of academic operations. "Normally, they would be picked up on two runs. It has been reduced to one run around 3:20 p.m. The elementary students wait about 20 minutes, snacks and activities are provided. They are fully supervised by staff. The first day it was much later, we made adjustments to the routes and now everything is flowing smoothly." 

Hallett emphasized that the school district has explored many alternatives, including working with public and private entities such as the Nantucket Regional Transit Authority (NRTA) and Cranberry Transportation. But those possibilities ultimately proved to be dead ends, as the drivers lacked the licenses and credentials required to transport school-aged children.

"There are kids going home that are under 10 (years old) to houses with nobody there because they won’t let the big kids on the bus," one parent told the Current. "And the solution has to be that the district either plays hardball with Cape Cod Collaborative or rents vans or something. I’m just worried about the kids and their families at this most challenging time of year for everyone. And it’s even harder to imagine families trying to work and manage getting their kids what they need, given the overall political climate."

Hallett and Devitt said they would work with families to ensure situations like the one described by the parent did not occur, including allowing older siblings to ride home on the earlier run if need be.

"NPS is dedicated to getting this issue solved," Devitt said. "This includes putting bids out to other busing companies. The students' safety is our priority, and we are doing everything possible to ensure that transportation is in place for our children. We cannot express enough gratitude to the drivers that are on-island and are making this work. We are so lucky to have them serve our community. We do not anticipate solving this issue before the end of the school year. However, we will be working hard to solve it in the new school year. The key to this is getting drivers."

To that end, the school is planning a "Bus Driver Recruitment Night" on Monday, June 1st, at the Nantucket High School library from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., and is offering a $1,000 bonus to those who meet all requirements by September 1st. The pay for drivers has been increased to $50 per hour, with paid training.

One of the Nantucket school bus drivers, Shanya Stanley, whom the Cape Cod Collaborative said had resigned this month, claims that, in fact, she did not resign and is ready and willing to continue driving.

"I didn't verbally or voluntarily quit any aspect of driving the school bus, and I didn't leave Nantucket," Stanley said. "I'm here, willing and able and available to drive every day."

The specific details of that dispute are unclear.