Great responsibility is foisted upon the state Department of Education (DOE), an entity imbued with powers and means to shape Hawaii’s children into contributing members of society. No shortage of ink has been spilled and details debated over how best to facilitate this charge, from pedagogical methodology to subject matter, but little thought is given to the more mundane mechanics of school operation, such as bus transportation.
Compared to the complexities of fashioning effective curriculum, meeting national achievement benchmarks and distributing fair and equitable educational resources to all, administering a functional school bus service is — or should be — a simple task. But it is too tall an order for DOE, which in August suspended 108 bus routes impacting 3,720 children in Central Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island because contractors were unable to supply enough licensed school bus drivers. This, after suspensions on Oahu and Kauai had disrupted transportation for nearly 1,400 students in July 2023.
Shortages began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when school systems across the nation saw their bus driver pools wither due to illness and economic stressors related to a switch to remote learning. In Hawaii, that workforce has not returned to full strength, and shortages that DOE is unable to overcome are ongoing.
Clearly, outside assistance is required if consistent bus service is to be delivered. Multiple efforts to wrangle the problem cascaded through the state Legislature this session, including proposals calling for more accountability from DOE and its contractors, modified school hours, driver incentives and expanded department oversight through new staff positions. Only one piece of legislation, House Bill 862, survived crossover and is now pending consideration by the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
Despite being the least contentious of the bunch, HB 862 stands to make serious inroads toward a solution. Over the past two years, Gov. Josh Green issued multiple emergency proclamations authorizing alternative vehicles to carry students to school, alleviating pressure on DOE’s already taxed bus system. The orders also suspended certain state laws to selectively relax bus operator qualifications, enlarging the potential staff pool by allowing drivers lacking a commercial driver’s license (CDL) with an “S” endorsement to transport children. HB 862 codifies Green’s proclamations by placing them into statute, and should be adopted.
Under the proposal, vehicle choice would expand to include small buses, motorcoaches and vans, driven by CDL-P license holders. Importantly, HB 862 requires compliance with safety standards already in effect, albeit updated for the use of alternative modes of transport. These protocols must be rigorous. Further, proposed conditions would require buses used under state contract to be zero-emission vehicles, starting Jan. 1, 2045. Such stipulations jibe with the state’s climate goals and are welcome enhancements to existing statute.
The updates in HB 862 are a good start, but alone are not enough to solve Hawaii’s school bus woes, as evidenced by ongoing route suspensions. More needs to be done at the administrative level, so it is a shame that HB 861, which would have held DOE and its contractors to account, failed. A provision in that bill called for a review by DOE of contractor performance metrics, including driver and bus fleet status, no later than 30 days prior to the start of the school year. Such review should be rolled into HB 862 to avoid a repeat of August 2024, when DOE gave families less than four days’ notice that 160 bus routes would be unavailable on the first day of school.
DOE has demonstrated an egregious lack of preparation and responsibility when it comes to student transportation services, a most basic necessity. It is now in lawmakers’ hands to ensure that no student is — quite literally — left behind.
