BRUNSWICK — Maine school districts are ramping up their hiring campaigns for school bus drivers as staffing shortages create transportation challenges.

Brunswick school bus services are “on the margin of being able to function” without more drivers, Superintendent Phil Potenziano told the School Board on Sept. 10.

“Since COVID, we’ve struggled with maintaining our fleet,” he said in an interview.

When drivers call out sick or have to take a leave, transportation staff is left scrambling to cover bus runs. This often means combining multiple routes, a strategy the school department has had to employ daily this school year.

“No one wants our students to be on buses any longer than they need to be,” Potenziano said. Doubling the number of students per bus is also a safety concern, he added.

In addition to merging regular routes, Brunswick has occasionally been forced to reschedule after-school sports and events due to a lack of transportation, leaving kids disappointed, Potenziano said. At times, Brunswick has split sports routes with competing school districts.

Brunswick is not alone. Districts across the state are experiencing a shortage of bus drivers, said Cheryl Brackett, transportation coordinator at the Maine Department of Education’s School Safety Center.

“Based on available data and current job-board postings, there are approximately 40 to 80 open positions statewide at any given time,” Brackett said in an email.

“The impact of a lack of school transportation staffing on a school community is real and immediate, leading to issues such as the cutting of bus routes, longer student rides, delays in transportation, an increased burden on parents, student absenteeism, missed instructional time, staff burnout and higher overtime costs for school districts,” she said.

To find potential drivers, Brunswick schools have taken to local radio, direct mailings and even a banner stretching across a bus parked on the main drag of Pleasant Street.

The school department needs at least two more bus drivers to be fully staffed, though it’s looking to bring on more than that to keep up with employee call-outs and transportation to extracurriculars.

The department is hiring for both full- and part-time drivers at a rate of roughly $29 per hour, including training for new drivers who need a commercial driver’s licenses. Overtime and benefits are also available, Potenziano said.

Elsewhere in the state, schools have faced similar challenges in recent years. Chris Pasciuto, the transportation manager at Kennebunk-based Regional School Unit 21, said the district has 27 out of the 33 drivers it needs. On top of that, the district is down about seven bus aides, who generally drive smaller vehicles for special education students.

Still, the situation is better than last year, when the district had to cancel routes altogether. Recent union negotiations raised the starting wage for bus drivers from about $20 to about $25 per hour.

“The margins are super thin,” Pasciuto said.

Pasciuto and his mechanics have had to jump behind the wheel themselves when employees call out, pulling them out of the office. Potenziano said Brunswick has also had to rely on a bus mechanic to sub in.

The combination of an aging workforce, lower-than-desired pay, challenging schedules and licensure, and training barriers may account for the shortage of drivers, Brackett said. Pasciuto said the perception that dealing with students is a stressful task could keep away potential applicants.

Though, “(There are) great connections to be made with kids,” Pasciuto said.

In Portland, the largest school district in the state, finding bus drivers is a challenge, but not one so severe that it’s hindered the ability to get students around, said Superintendent Ryan Scallon. The district has to bring on contracted drivers for some sporting events, but it’s also been able to add special education routes this year.

Portland Public Schools currently employs 24 drivers and has two vacancies, with two trainees working on their certifications.

“We feel like we’re in a particularly good spot right now,” Scallon said.

The Portland district has a direct pipeline to new bus drivers through Portland Adult Education, which offers a commercial driving course, Scallon said. Sign-on bonuses and guaranteed hours have also helped Portland bring in drivers.

In addition to raising pay and offering sign-on bonuses, the state Department of Education recommends offering paid CDL training and apprenticeship paths and more flexible driver schedules.

Potenziano emphasized the job’s flexibility. Full-time bus drivers in Brunswick have recess and lunch monitoring duties, while part-time drivers and subs can choose to take on fewer routes. He said those interested can go to the Brunswick School Department website or call for more information.