Summit County School District Prepares For Students To Return To Class Amid Staffing Shortages – CBS Denver

SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)– The Summit County Faculty District is on the brink of welcome again college students, totally in-person, for the primary time in 17 months. They’re additionally actively hiring for a number of open positions earlier than lessons resume.

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“We’ve employed excellent lecturers; we’ve employed some excellent central workplace employees. We nonetheless have some positions to fill however our largest ones proper now are transportation,” stated Roy Crawford, Superintendent for the Summit County Faculty District.”

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Like many districts throughout the nation, Summit County is having a tricky time hiring drivers.

“Bus drivers, final yr we had 18 routes and this yr we solely have 10 as a result of we solely have 10 bus drivers and so it creates an amazing hardship on households after we can’t transport all children and we will’t do our regular runs,” stated Crawford.

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The district is engaged on options whereas making an attempt to fill different vacant positions as properly.

“Our different points are in meals service, though that’s bettering, and in our paraprofessionals- hiring paraprofessionals for classroom help so these are our three largest points proper now,” he stated.

Staffing shortages are a difficulty state-wide, and particularly in mountain communities the place inexpensive housing is at an all-time low.

Regardless of the hurdles, many households have been understanding and Crawford says college students and employees particularly are simply excited to be again studying in individual.

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“Whatever the transportation points or the masking it’s an thrilling time for our youngsters and we’re wanting ahead to having them proper now,” stated Crawford.

In Summit County, nearly 90% of those between 16 and 18 have been fully vaccinated, and just over 70% of those between ages 12 and 15 have been fully vaccinated.

It’s due to this, Crawford says college students might be returning with masks as the one main restriction.

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On Monday, Crawford met with a gaggle of eight highschool college students to debate the upcoming college yr.

“If they will keep at school full-time and never should cohort and never should do distant studying, they have been greater than prepared to put on a masks,” he stated.

Proper now, the district is advertising dozens of positions with aggressive wages. Crawford thinks the bus driver subject could be the hardest loss to fill.

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“You’re employed a break up shift,” he stated. “It does take a particular sort of individual with a particular sort of talent set to be a bus driver and so they’re simply not right here proper now.”