Saratoga School Bus Cancellations Cause Parent Frustration

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Recent bus cancellations by the Saratoga Springs City School District caused some parents to vent their frustrations in a local Facebook group.

On November 6, one parent posted to the group “What’s Going on Saratoga” that she was notified that her son’s bus was canceled less than 90 minutes before dismissal. “I have no idea the procedure, can’t seem to find it in the handbook, and no one is answering the phone there,” the parent wrote.

Screenshots of Saratoga Springs school district notifications stated that “due to the school bus driver shortage and employee illness,” buses 461 and 466 were both canceled, along with all after-school late buses. 

Earlier this year, the district cut two full-time transportation department positions as part of its 2024-2025 budget. Although neither of the positions were technically drivers, they were a dispatcher and mechanic, both of whom sometimes served as substitute bus drivers when necessary.

At an April 25 budget adoption meeting, bus dispatcher Dean Musgrove expressed his opposition to the cuts. “It’s really going to do a lot of damage to our department and I don’t think you realize the extent of it,” Musgrove said. “I have a hard time understanding why $180,000 can’t be located to cover these two positions that you’re talking about cutting…Even though they’re not technically driver positions, they are actually drivers.”

In April, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Patton said there had been “significant sacrifices” in order to achieve a balanced budget. “We truly appreciate the feedback that we do receive from transportation,” he said. “Mr. Musgrove and I had several conversations.” Dr. Patton also noted that other similarly-sized school districts had fewer dispatchers and routing specialists than Saratoga Springs.

Bus driver shortages have been an ongoing issue both locally and across the country. Data from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) indicates that from September 2019 to September 2023, there was a 15.1% decrease in the total number of K-12 bus drivers nationwide. Private school bus driver employment also declined by 21.5% over the same four-year period.

Several factors have contributed to the shortage, including low wages. According to the EPI, school bus driver wages are significantly lower than most other workers. Drivers earned an average of $20 per hour in 2022, which is nearly 17% less than the median wage for all workers. Drivers only work an average of around 32 hours per week, which means their weekly wages are also below average. Many drivers also don’t work during summers, which decreases their yearly income.

The Saratoga Springs school district currently has a bus driver job opening that pays $22.15 per hour, which is below the median wage for all workers in the economy ($24.04), according to data from 2022.