I want to thank ADN, Morgan Krakow and Zaz Hollander for the pair of articles about how the Anchorage School District bus shortage came to be, what the obstacles are, what’s being done about it and how we see it changing over the next two months. I especially appreciate the article about some of our drivers in training.
When a job says “working with children” you can get a lot of reactions, but it’s a fact that it’s the most rewarding aspect of so many jobs in education. No child connects with all the adults in the school system, but the goal is as many positive connections as we can have, and yes, for some kids it’s their bus driver. For some it’s a cafeteria staffer or one of our security folks or office staff. And of course, for many, classroom teachers and teacher aides are at the heart of it.
I’ll leave some people out, I’m sure, but counselors, nurses, librarians, our building plant operators, coaches and parent volunteers are all part of the mix who make so many positive connection points. It is a fact that the bus driver is the first and last ASD face that many children see each day.
Yes, we have shortages of employees in many areas, as the budget is stretched across so many areas. We’re not able to make these jobs financially attractive enough to stay fully staffed, and the state changes to benefits make it tougher. It is heartening to see people step up to take spots that matter a great deal to the students in a time of great need. It is an important way our community can be there for our students.
I do think it’s important that people understand the details of how it happened. Alaska has some unique challenges, but we’re also caught up in a national phenomenon, along with being a state experiencing some aging of the workforce and outmigration. We got caught in a perfect storm that we could not accurately predict the size of. The information and positive response of the folks in training are heartening to me as a citizen of Anchorage.
We’ll keep working to eliminate shortages that have such an impact. If bus drivers were the only area it would be pretty easy, but they are one part of a very large enterprise. Thank you to everyone that is stepping up. As an ASD board member, I want to make clear these are my personal feelings and I’m not representing the school board or the administration. If folks did not see both the articles, I hope you will look for them online.
— Andy Holleman
Member, Anchorage School Board
Anchorage
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