Erika's Corner: December
This is Erika's monthly message from our e-newsletter. Sign up to receive future issues.
The ongoing discussion about the DPS bus driver shortage has highlighted an issue that extends beyond logistics — it is, at its core, one of the largest equity challenges we’ve faced in recent years. Access to safe, reliable transportation is a cornerstone of equitable public education. Without it, students face barriers to learning that disproportionately impact our most vulnerable families. While DPS must continue working to recruit and retain more bus drivers to meet the growing need, I also want to take a moment to recognize a group we too often overlook: the bus drivers we do have. The workers who show up, and continue to show up, every morning and afternoon, brightening our kids’ days and easing the stress of working families.
Bus drivers are more than just drivers. They are a vital part of our students’ villages. During our children’s school day, bus drivers are the first friendly faces they see and the last reassuring wave goodbye. With every shift, these workers go above and beyond. They ensure our students stay safe, cared for, and seen.
I still remember my 6th-grade bus driver, Ms. Jones. During our trips to Lowe’s Grove Middle School, she became a valuable part of my support system. Whether it was holding the bus when I was running late or giving me a pack of chips after a tough day, she reminded me that someone was looking out for me.
I recently heard about a DPS bus driver who, in spite of working multiple jobs and caring for her own kids, noticed a student with holes in his shoes who was often absent from his bus stop. She dipped into her own pocket and scarce time to buy him some shoes.
Bus drivers don’t just support our kids. They support our families, too. Without bus drivers, some children might never make it to school — a very real reality for many students this year.
Right now, school districts nationwide are trying to solve the same puzzle of bus driver shortages. However, to resolve the shortage, we’ll need more long-term solutions. As with most issues within our school system, this challenge continues to stem from a lack of funding from our state government: funding needed to offer competitive wages to bus drivers.
Without additional funding, we will continue to face issues recruiting and retaining not only bus drivers but all the staff who make our local schools run. Staff including the ones who serve our kids breakfast and lunch and the ones who keep our schools clean. The very same individuals who often have to work second and third jobs just to keep a car in their driveway, food on their table, and roofs over their heads.
As a community, we must keep standing up for these workers and advocating for the funds needed to pay all public school staff fair wages in a supportive environment.
But for this week, before your kids take their last bite of school lunch or their last step off the bus before the winter break, I want you to take a moment and think about how you and them can thank your local school workers. It could be as simple as giving your child’s bus driver a handwritten holiday card or just saying thank you.
We at DPSF will continue showing our gratitude by offering an “open tab” at participating Durham coffee shops on Friday, December 20. At the locations below, any DPS bus driver can present their DPS ID to receive a free coffee, tea, and bakery item of their choice to warm their bellies during the last routes of 2024.
Participating Locations & Hours*:
Cocoa Cinnamon: 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
2013 Chapel Hill Rd Suite A (Lakewood)
Dunkin Donuts: 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
1125 NC-54 #504 (Hope Valley)
3459 Hillsborough Rd (Durham Festival Center)
*While supplies last
We look forward to sharing more about how we plan to support all DPS staff in 2025. Until then, I wish all of you a happy and safe holiday season and a happy new year.
