Dear PPS families,
During a briefing this afternoon with local news and media outlets about our successful first week of in-person instruction, I shared a concern regarding the expanding bus driver shortage that is posing challenges as we prepare to welcome students back on May 3.
Prior to the COVID-19 shutdown and move to remote instruction, bus driver shortages were common across the region and country. The shortage has only been exacerbated due to the lack of work during the pandemic and other jobs hiring while buses weren't running. For us in Pittsburgh, this means that we will not have enough school bus seating to transport every child who is returning to 2-day hybrid in-person instruction on Monday, May 3.
District Action to Address the Driver Shortage
• Engaging community groups and local churches for alternative means of transportation;
• Enhancing current promotion of school bus driver recruitment efforts;
• Prioritizing transportation needs of students with specialized services based on federal and state guidelines; and
• Accommodating an earlier return to school for the children of school bus drivers.
The driver shortage is not unique to Pittsburgh Public Schools. It is impacting school districts across the county, state and nation. It is also impacting families in the city that send their children to private, parochial and charter schools. One bus driver can drive a maximum of three bus routes in the AM and PM and transport up to 144 students a day.
Please know that the last thing we want is to cause our families an additional level of stress. We know that each of you have made personal and professional sacrifices over the past year. If you are able to transport your child to and from school every day and have already been notified of your child’s bus # and stop, please let us know.
To release your child’s seat on a yellow bus, please submit a ticket through Let’s Talk at www.pghschools.org/letstalk or call our Parent Hotline at 412-529-HELP (4357).
Please include the following:
• Student's first and last name
• School name school
• Birth date
• Home address
Thank you for your continued support and advocacy for the students of Pittsburgh.
Yours in education,
Anthony D. Hamlet, Ed. D., Superintendent of Schools
