Cheney School District in need of bus drivers

With the new school year coming up, the Cheney School District is in need of more substitute bus drivers and special needs bus aides.

According to a Facebook post from the transportation office, this would be a part time job and a great opportunity for college students, retired persons and stay-at-home parents looking to make extra money.

The basic qualifications to apply as a bus driver are:

• You have to be 22-years-old (also the minimum age required to obtain a Certified Drivers License in the state of Washington)

• Have a Washington State driver's license for at least five years.

• Have a good driving record – no more than two speeding tickets.

• Pass the following: WSP background check, FBI fingerprint test, drug and alcohol test and a physical examination.

Bus drivers are not put behind the wheel without being trained first. The training that they go through lasts about three weeks. It consists of classroom instruction along with time behind the wheel.

Last school year's beginning bus drivers' salary started at $14.94 per hour. The job will take place before and after school hours, but not in between those times. Substitute drivers are not eligible for benefits, but permanent drivers are. Substitute drivers can transition into permanent routes as they become available.

"We are definitely in need of drivers," Ellen Holland, a transportation employee, said in an email. "We often struggle to find enough subs, especially during the busy sports season where we have to transport the sports teams after school to their games."

The transportation office is not going without a lack of effort to help find bus drivers. They advertise in school bulletins, at PTO/PTA meetings, through AARP, automated phone call messages and e-mails to parents in the school district. They also employ flyers at EWU and with the EWU job office, a big sign out by the bus garage and flyers in local churches. There can also be a bus found with a banner on it parked in different locations, like the Safeway parking lot, advertising the need for bus drivers.

If you meet these qualifications and are interested in applying, go to the Cheney School District Transportation Department at 2736 N. Sixth St. or call 559-4523 for further questions.

Grace Pohl can be reached at [email protected].