State grant helped Cedar Rapids schools train 22 new bus drivers

CEDAR RAPIDS — A state grant of nearly $100,000 reimbursed the Cedar Rapids Community School District for training 22 bus drivers over the last year — and the district is looking to hire more.

The district received the $98,990 grant from Future Ready Iowa in April 2023. It concluded in September. The Cedar Rapids district was one of 46 schools and businesses to receive the funding. To drive a school bus in Iowa, a Class B commercial driver’s license is required.

During a school board meeting earlier this month, Cedar Rapids Superintendent Tawana Grover celebrated the completion of the grant, saying the district was “fortunate” to have extra funding “so we can continue to keep drivers available to transport our students.”

The district is hiring bus drivers for routes from 6 to 9 a.m. or 2 to 5 p.m., Grover said. Drivers can work one or both shifts.

“Come help drive the future here in the Cedar Rapids Community School District,” Grover said. “And if you like athletics, activities, band concerts, football games, you name it, you can also drive the bus. It’s a great way to stay engaged with our students.”

The Gazette sat down with Scott Wing, transportation manager for the Cedar Rapids district, to talk about how the grant supported the district’s transportation department over the last year and the continued need for bus and van drivers.

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Q: Tell me more about how the grant helped support the district in hiring school bus drivers.

A: There is a shortage of CDL licensed drivers across the nation. The governor allocated this money to fund a new training program and help companies and schools get up to speed with training drivers. We were able to get reimbursed for new trainees and expenses toward (entry level driver training).

It allowed us to promote a hiring bonus. It allowed us to get reimbursed for some of the expenses of creating a driving range (in Kingston Stadium’s parking lot) and the supplies it takes to run it like maintaining painted lines and safety cones.

Q: How many students does the district transport daily?

A: We transport around 4,500 students twice a day.

Q: How many drivers do you need to be fully staffed?

A: We’re currently looking at 16 bus drivers and eight van drivers. We get really creative with pairing trips together to create more efficient routes. Sometimes, the district has to rely on hired charter (buses) to transport athletic trips. We have to keep our drivers focused on daily routes instead of transporting athletics and fine arts.

Q: Is the need for bus drivers constant and ongoing?

A: It’s a nationwide shortage. For us, it does ebb and flow a bit. One of the challenges we’re working to overcome is when people are interested in driving for the district, they don’t really think about it until August. It takes six to eight weeks to train a new driver, so we have to hire them in May and June to make sure they’re ready to drive by August.

Q: What makes a good bus driver?

A: There’s so many qualities that factor into that. Someone that loves kids, that has an even temperament and is willing to smile.

Q: What is required to become a bus driver?

A: There are quite a few steps. The district helps each applicant through those steps and walks them through the training process. Even though it may seem overwhelming or challenging, we’re here to help them every step of the way.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com