Superintendent: State legislation could muddle school bus service

Palatine Township Elementary District 15 Superintendent Laurie Heinz is sounding the alarm about state legislation she believes would hamstring efforts to overcome school bus driver shortages.

Heinz said Senate Bill 1799 would limit the school board’s ability to enter into emergency contracts for supplemental drivers beyond 90 days. Under the bill, if the board attempted to renew a 90-day contract three times or more, driver union approval would be required.

The bill passed the Senate by a 42-8 vote on Wednesday and now shifts to the House.

District 15 has leaned heavily on supplemental drivers since the COVID-19 pandemic, Heinz said. The district needs more than 110 drivers, but only employs 85 to 90 and draws on three private companies to provide up to 20 more, she said.

The staffing struggles persist, despite the district raising wages and offering new hire bonuses, paid training and full medical and dental benefits, officials said.

“We need the legislators to understand that we have tried and tried, and we continue to try to recruit. We have raised wages. We've upped our game in terms of recruitment,” Heinz said.

District 15, which serves approximately 12,000 students across seven municipalities, operates 144 buses carrying more than 10,000 students daily on about 250 routes.

If passed, the bill could force the district to move from having three start-and-end times for students to four, and require drivers to double up on routes, Heinz said. That could lead to students missing free breakfast and special education students not receiving services, she added.

Bill sponsor Sen. Ram Villivalam has held a Zoom meeting with district officials.

“I have appreciated the conversations I have had with superintendents and the work they do on a daily basis for the quality education of our youth,” the Chicago Democrat said in a statement.

He said he worked to incorporate their concerns into the bill, which applies to bus drivers and other non-instructional workers, and added that it has the support of a bipartisan group of 42 senators.

“I look forward to continuing to work with (District 15) and other school districts to change the stagnant dynamic of workforce shortages through new recruitment and retention strategies,” he said. “I know our union partners, the organizations that represent our beloved kindergarten teachers, cafeteria workers and many more, also want to be collaborative partners in ensuring a stabilized workforce and ensuring every youth is able to obtain the quality education they deserve.”

The district has already faced pushback from parents when it moved from two start-and-end times to three in 2022 to reduce the number of drivers needed.

She said drivers are calling in sick at a rate of 18% to 20% per day.