Anonymous wrote:What would you suggest needs to happen from FCPS Transportation to ensure better staffing and decreased turnover? Six years in and our elementary school bus has been overcrowded demanding 3 kids to a seat and sometimes standing room only. That being said, for the last 5 years we had a highly dependable, kind and welcoming same bus driver for our route; who we routinely provided holiday and end of year gift cards for. We are dismayed to learn he left the profession (obviously good for him and I hope he found something the he feels great about) but in the meantime we have a very inconsistent issue of busses coming late both morning and afternoon.

We’ve been told that our area (Mclean HS zone) has at least a shortage of 5 bus drivers. Our kids are literally missing the first block of the day’s education and routinely arriving 20-30min late for school. In the afternoon it takes upwards of 40mins from the time of dismissal to when they arrive home making it difficult to plan for afternoon schedules and parents/nannies standing to meet kindergarteners as required for 20 minutes or more because SOMETIMES they arrive at the designated time and if you aren’t there that day your kid is brought back to the school.

What should parents be demanding of the county/fcps and what do drivers need? In our experience the ones who stay are extremely kind and ready to help.

Anonymous wrote:

This and if we are being honest across the board FCPS does not show respect to their staff. It's all lip service.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My wife works for fcps as a bus driver and her pay can’t even pay her car payment, something is wrong I believed she worked 2 weeks and only got 500.00 in the middle of the month of January 2025…This is not sustainable for anyone, I don’t know how they calculate it, but that’s obviously not correct. Since she started in December 2024 she has not gotten a good paycheck. The school district need to look at their system and realize that is the reason they have a shortage in the workforce is because if you don’t work you don’t get paid even for federal holidays… and you are not a contractor. I know she will have to leave soon because that’s a joke to have a cdl and earning that… the hrs are flexible with the split, however, waking up at 5am to go pick these kids up and be responsible for them it’s a joke with the pay. When you can even work for the transit and make way more. Crazy

It's an hourly position, so for how many hours did she work over the 2 weeks?

When did she start in December? Between winter break and the four days off of school last week, I can see why the hours worked wouldn't be very high during that stretch. For example, last Friday hourly employees were paid for the time period between Dec. 14 and Dec. 27.

But the point is you are dealing with a lot getting paid little....you could work other jobs with better working conditions.

Anonymous wrote:The messaging to staff within schools is ... don't come down too hard on bad behavior, absenteeism, and/or work avoidance because that leads to drop outs in high school. Meanwhile, kids are getting a free pass and promoted to the next grade throughout ES and MS regardless of behavior, attendance, or grades ... so they don't drop out later?? Yes, people can change and we don't want to exile a child who could improve and take their education and life prospects seriously. But for the hope of those few, many ridiculous and harmful behaviors are being overlooked that harm other students - and teacher, bus drivers, IAs, etc. - who have to look the other way every day right now and deal with dangerous and disrespecful behaviors. It's insanity. -An MS teacher and ES parent, FCPS

Anonymous wrote:I’m a bus driver for area four and I really enjoy it, but it is only my second year.

The kids, for the most part, are great - of course annoying/bad stuff happens sometimes, but I haven’t have any real awful situation occur so far.

If you want to make 40hrs or more per week there is PLENTY of work available between regular routes, shuttles, late runs, field trips and other stuff.

This year I keep hearing on the radio about supervisors, floaters, drivers having to do back to back runs, especially in the Herndon pyramid. But also Marshall.

Last year the biggest problem area seemed to be Langley. I have been told their routes are very long because since there are no sidewalks, the bus driver has to practically drive from house to house to pick up/drop off students safely.

I will tell you this though, my experience in the training center last year was one of the worst of my life.

Some of them were great, but the great majority of the instructors were awful. Just bullies.

And the system is stacked against you - you spend three and half weeks in the classroom, 8hrs/day and being paid.

Then the driving instructions begin and that is where people are let go left and right.

Most people have never driven a big vehicle so it is very intimidating and we are usually very nervous/anxious. There are 8 sessions in total and you have three chances for each or you are let go.

They DON’T tell you this during the application or during the theory classes. Quite the contrary - we kept hearing that we shouldn’t worry because they would not put us out there if while we were not prepared, that they would train us until we were prepared.

I think the first 4 sessions shouldn’t even have a “pass/fail” until they just plain taught us for at least three learning periods, since they are the fundamentals: how to make turns, how to keep bus centered, how to drive in country, narrow roads, backing up/parallel parking.

But some of those instructors were awful: yelling is a constant, threatening to hit our hands with a ruler (he said it was a joke, but a very unfortunate one when we are already stressed), mocking. Just horrible.

Things I don’t like about the job:

1 - the expectation that we are just available. Like when the bus breaks down and we have to spend 2+ hours in the garage between shifts or after shift. It is paid of course, but since normally those hours are not on my schedule, I may have other, personal stuff planned.

2 - the fact that WE have to bring our own flashlights, gloves, broom, dust pan, mop, etc. even the water. Last year I resorted to buying freaking mineral water to mop my bus, at least for the first time (I reused the bottles later). Anyway, it sounds so entitled of them!

3 - the amount of holidays and students/teachers days off that is not paid. Last October there was only ONE full work week in the entire month!

4 - the fact that in this day and age there are no back up cameras in the freaking buses. Backing up is so dangerous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My wife works for fcps as a bus driver and her pay can’t even pay her car payment, something is wrong I believed she worked 2 weeks and only got 500.00 in the middle of the month of January 2025…This is not sustainable for anyone, I don’t know how they calculate it, but that’s obviously not correct. Since she started in December 2024 she has not gotten a good paycheck. The school district need to look at their system and realize that is the reason they have a shortage in the workforce is because if you don’t work you don’t get paid even for federal holidays… and you are not a contractor. I know she will have to leave soon because that’s a joke to have a cdl and earning that… the hrs are flexible with the split, however, waking up at 5am to go pick these kids up and be responsible for them it’s a joke with the pay. When you can even work for the transit and make way more. Crazy

It's an hourly position, so for how many hours did she work over the 2 weeks?

When did she start in December? Between winter break and the four days off of school last week, I can see why the hours worked wouldn't be very high during that stretch. For example, last Friday hourly employees were paid for the time period between Dec. 14 and Dec. 27.

Anonymous wrote:Behavior. If you’ve never been on a school bus, even in a “good” pyramid, you will be shocked by the screaming and throwing and misbehavior.

Hours. Who wants to work a split shift that doesn’t even reach full time hours?

Pay. It’s higher elsewhere with a CDL, and you don’t have to deal with the first so things.

Anonymous wrote:My wife works for fcps as a bus driver and her pay can’t even pay her car payment, something is wrong I believed she worked 2 weeks and only got 500.00 in the middle of the month of January 2025…This is not sustainable for anyone, I don’t know how they calculate it, but that’s obviously not correct. Since she started in December 2024 she has not gotten a good paycheck. The school district need to look at their system and realize that is the reason they have a shortage in the workforce is because if you don’t work you don’t get paid even for federal holidays… and you are not a contractor. I know she will have to leave soon because that’s a joke to have a cdl and earning that… the hrs are flexible with the split, however, waking up at 5am to go pick these kids up and be responsible for them it’s a joke with the pay. When you can even work for the transit and make way more. Crazy

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The messaging to staff within schools is ... don't come down too hard on bad behavior, absenteeism, and/or work avoidance because that leads to drop outs in high school. Meanwhile, kids are getting a free pass and promoted to the next grade throughout ES and MS regardless of behavior, attendance, or grades ... so they don't drop out later?? Yes, people can change and we don't want to exile a child who could improve and take their education and life prospects seriously. But for the hope of those few, many ridiculous and harmful behaviors are being overlooked that harm other students - and teacher, bus drivers, IAs, etc. - who have to look the other way every day right now and deal with dangerous and disrespecful behaviors. It's insanity. -An MS teacher and ES parent, FCPS

100%!
-An ES teacher

Anonymous wrote:A friend of mine is a relatively new driver for FCPS. She likes it, in part because the split schedule works for her, but it sounds like there are elements that will wear on her as time goes on:

Behavior. Each route is a crap-shoot. Sometimes the kids are great, other times they are less so. Pandemic-era feralness is still very much an issue.

Commute. It’s not just “get in your bus and drive to the first stop.” First you have to get from your house to the bus depot. Then check over your bus. Then navigate over to the first stop, which you may have even passed on your way to the depot. In my friend’s case, she’s leaving her house around 5:00 a.m. to make that first pickup. Reverse the process at the end of the morning, then start it again in the afternoon. Oh, and battle rush-hour traffic to get back home, after being on the road all day. It’s mentally and physically exhausting.

Routes. These are assigned based on seniority. New drivers don’t always get the routes close to home (and to a bus depot). Someone driving a McLean route might live in Lorton or Centreville. (Because those who are working for bus driver pay are not likely to live in McLean or North Arlington.)

Agency. Bus routes and schedules are set by people in FCPS central office. If a bus driver knows a better way to run the route (more time on faster roads, eliminating left turns across busy streets, avoiding known sticky spots, etc.) they need to file a request, which is then reviewed, and blah blah blah. Sure, oversight is good, but the current process takes forever and seems to be set up to discount input from the people who actually know the route best.

Pay. As others have pointed out, you can make more with your CDL elsewhere. And those places will pay you year-round. With FCPS, you need to drive a summer school route to get paid over the summer. And those routes are also distributed based on seniority.

At every level, the system seems to be set up to dissuade new people from applying/sticking around. I’m curious to see how long my friend lasts. She loves the kids, but other parts of the job seem pretty challenging.