Assistant superintendent warns of driver shortage, outlines recruitment and policy options

Assistant Superintendent Melissa Devitt told the Nantucket School Committee on May 19 that the district is "pretty much in a crisis situation with our transportation right now" after the departure of the transportation coordinator and recent missed routes.

Devitt said drivers and families experienced early‑morning problems earlier in the week that were resolved, but the district still needs more drivers for regular morning and afternoon runs. She said the district has 11–12 people interested in training and is exploring multiple strategies including centralizing bus rosters, offering additional daytime work for drivers (lunch and recess monitoring), and increasing pay to attract applicants.

"Some are parents, some are employees, and some are community members that already have CDLs," Devitt said, describing recruitment outreach by text, email and social media. She said training pay has increased from $15 to $30 an hour and that certain runs could pay about $50 an hour to make the positions competitive.

Devitt said the district has met with transportation vendors. First Student responded but requires a bus garage to operate under its contract terms, a constraint that complicates full outsourcing. The district will continue talks with the Cape Cod Collaborative and explore other private carriers; committee members suggested placing local ads and coordinating with the Collaborative on recruitment.

The committee agreed to review the bus policy this spring and to convene the policy committee before summer to prepare for potential changes if vendor or staffing options require revisions. The committee did not take formal action at the meeting beyond directing staff to continue recruitment and policy review.

Next steps: staff will centralize student bus rosters over the summer, expand recruitment advertising, and return with recommended policy changes if needed prior to the 2026–27 school year.